The Legitimate Net
Within hours after the Supreme Court (SC) told the Jammu Kashmir administration to review the Internet ban and termed the access to Net in the modern age as a fundamental right, the UT administration has started seeking feedback on the current situation and the likely impact of restoring the Internet services across J&K.
It has convened a meeting early next week to analyse the feedback. It is to deliberate over the threat from Pakistan if the Internet is restored. “All aspects of the restoring of the Net would be discussed before taking a final decision on the issue,” a highly placed source told The Tribune.
“The administration, however, is committed to opening the communications in a phased manner, the process that had started in October itself with the opening of the landline services, followed by the mobile and SMS services,” the source pointed out.
The sources said the meeting would discuss the law and order situation in the region and also prepare a response to the decision by SC, which on Friday, asked the administration to review its ban on Internet within a week.
The sources said the high-level meeting would review the situation and it was likely that the broadband and leased line services would be restored in the region. Broadband and leased line services were already up in the Jammu region.
A response to be submitted before the SC would also be prepared at the meeting, the sources said, adding that it would include the measures already taken by the administration.
The sources said the widespread view among the security agencies was that the restoration of mobile internet was risky.
