GUWAHATI: The Manipur High Court has asked the state government to find ways for restoring mobile internet services.
Internet services were suspended in the state on May 3, the day the ethnic violence broke out.
On July 25, the government partially lifted the ban on internet services on broadband (ILL and FTTH) conditionally "in a liberalized manner subject to fulfillment of…terms and conditions".
After hearing a batch of petitions on Friday, a two-judge bench of Justice Ahanthem Bimol Singh and Justice A Guneshwar Sharma said, "...the Home Department should consider devising mechanism/methods for providing internet services through mobile phones by whitelisting the mobile numbers on case-to-case basis and in a phase-wise manner."
The bench directed the state authorities to consider this aspect and submit a report on August 31 when the matter is heard again.
During the hearing, the government counsel submitted that the government earlier issued necessary orders lifting the ban on providing internet through broadband services (ILL and FTTH) in a liberalized manner subject to fulfillment of certain safeguards/terms and conditions and many people availed such internet services.
The counsel appearing for the petitioners submitted that since there has been no data leakage with regard to providing internet services to the whitelisted mobile phones, the court can pass an appropriate order, directing the state government to take necessary steps for whitelisting mobile phones in a gradual manner for providing internet services.
At this, the government counsel submitted that the state authorities may be given two weeks' time to devise certain measures/mechanisms for whitelisting mobile phones and the liberty to consider whitelisting mobile numbers on a case-to-case basis and in a phase-wise manner.
The government had suspended internet services for fear that they might flare up the situation. However, despite the ban, a May 4 strip-parade video went viral last month, triggering nationwide outrage.