The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Jammu and Kashmir administration to review and place in the public domain all restrictions imposed following the abrogation of Article 370 in August last year. Stating that the indefinite suspension of the internet in J&K was in violation of Telecom Rules, the Supreme Court directed the administration to restore services in hospitals and educational institutions.
A bench of Justices N V Ramana, R Subhash Reddy and B R Gavai was hearing a batch of petitions, including those by Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kashmir Times Executive Editor Anuradha Bhasin, challenging the restrictions imposed in the region. The petitioners said that the restrictions had thrown life out of gear in the region and affected all sections of people, including farmers and daily wagers. They also questioned the curbs on internet and mobile communication and said this had a crippling effect on the lives of people.
However, the Centre had justified the restrictions citing national security and said that these were temporary measures in view of the prevailing situation in the region which was facing the brunt of cross-border terror. The Centre had argued that not a single person was killed after the August 5 decision due to the steps taken by the government. The government claimed that for many years, terrorists had been entering from across the border and civilians were being held captive by local militants and separatist organisations.
