Jharkhand Internet Shutdown: High Court Seeks Government Response On PIL Against Decision

The matter of shutting down internet services in Jharkhand during the CGL exam reached the High Court. The court has refused to stay the government's order but has sought a reply from the government.

Ranchi (Jharkhand):The High Court on Saturday refused to stay the government order to suspend mobile internet in the state as a preventive measure against cheating in the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination.

Hearing a PIL against the shutdown during the CGL test on September 21 and September 22, the court of Justice Anand Sen and Justice Anubha Rawat Chaudhary asked the state government to submit a detailed reply in the matter within four weeks. It also sought clarity on whether internet shutdowns will become a regular occurrence during exams and wants to know the government's policy on this matter.

On Saturday, Advocate Rajendra Krishna requested the high court's intervention over the internet shutdown decision. In a letter to Acting Chief Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad, Adv Krishna demanded the constitution of a special bench. Following this, the court converted the letter into a PIL and asked for a bench to be constituted to hear the case.

The petitioner stated that the internet is the fundamental right of the people and cannot be violated.

In response, Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan and Advocate Piyush Chitresh, who represented the state, presented their arguments, justifying the suspension of mobile internet in the state.

“Such an order has been issued in the interest of the students to examine in a fair and malpractice-free manner,” they informed the court.