SC Denies to Interfere With Manipur HC Order on Internet Restoration in State

The Supreme Court of India has declined to interfere with the Manipur High Court’s order directing the Manipur government to restore limit internet in the state.

A bench comprising of Chief Justice of India India DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Misra heard the plea filed by the Manipur Government challenging the Manipur High Court order which allowed the restoration of internet in the State in a limited manner.

The court however, granted liberty to the State of Manipur to approach the High Court to appraise it of the difficulties faced by it in implementing the Court’s order.

During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Manipur government, told the bench that any rumour may ignite the issue in Manipur.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said, "Any rumour is likely to ignite the issue. The question of the internet, it's sometimes open, sometimes not. Can it be left to the discretion of those on the ground."

On July 7, the Manipur High Court had ordered the State government to lift the internet ban on Internet Lease Line (ILL) and Fibre To The Home (FTTH) connections in the State after ensuring that all the stakeholders have complied with the safeguards suggested by an Expert Committee.

The High Court had also directed the government to consider restoring Fiber To The Home (FTTH) connections on a case-by-case basis, provided that the safeguards put on record by the expert committee are complied with.

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