Raj HC asks govt to identify its source of power to suspend internet services

The Rajasthan High Court has asked the state government to spell out the source of its power to suspend the internet services during the recent recruitment tests for constables.

A jodhpur bench of the high court also asked the government during how many examinations it would suspend the internet services in the state.

A division bench headed by Justice Nirmaljit Kaur sought the government's explanation while issuing notices to the Department of Home and the state government through its secretary and the Jodhpur divisional commissioner.

The bench issued the notices while hearing a public interest lawsuit by a state native Dhirendra Singh, who termed suspension of internet services as an anti-people step.

The internet service was suspended in the state for two days on July 14 and 15 from 6.00 am to 5.00 pm during the tests for the recruitment of police constables.

Terming it to be "unconstitutional and illegal", the petitioner challenged the law, under which the decision to suspend the internet service was taken by the Home Department.

This decision had caused huge trouble to the people, specially the professionals and officials, who were dependent on the internet for various reasons including their job, said the petitioner in his petition.

His counsel Nitin Goklani argued in the court that in the time to come, many examinations are going to be conducted by the state government and suspending internet during these examinations will be depriving the people of their rights and causing disturbance in various services.

Such extreme steps are meant for the cases of public emergency and for ensuring public safety but none was the case in the examination, argued Goklani.

Contending that the practice of suspending internet services during various examinations has become a tradition now, Golanki pointed out that similar steps had been taken in February this year during the REET examination.

While hearing the arguments, the court wondered where did the Home Department derive the power from to issue the notification to suspend the internet services and during how many examination, it would be suspended.