Jharkhand HC passes final order on SFLC.in’s challenge to internet shutdowns in the state

SFLC.in had challenged the internet shutdowns imposed in the state on 6th February 2022, and on 10th - 11th June, 2022, on grounds of non-publication of orders and established principles of law laid down by the Supreme Court.

Delhi-based legal not-for-profit organization SFLC.in, a donor-supported legal services organization that has united lawyers, policy analysts, technologists, business professionals, students and citizens to protect freedom in the digital world, today said that the Jharkhand High Court has passed the final order on SFLC.in’s petition regarding Internet shutdowns imposed by the State Government. 

The High Court directed the State Government of Jharkhand to publish all previous orders suspending internet services within 48 hours on its official website. Further, any order passed for internet suspension in the future must comply with the Supreme Court decisions in Foundation of Media Professionals (2020) and Anuradha Bhasin (2020).

SFLC.in had challenged the internet shutdowns imposed in the state on 6th February 2022, and on 10th - 11th June, 2022, on grounds of non-publication of orders and established principles of law laid down by the Supreme Court.

Mobile broadband and fixed-line internet services had been restricted in the Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand for over 24 hours. While no official order was made public, locals of the district informed that internet services have been disrupted since 4 or 5 am on February 7, when they received a message from their telecom service providers that internet services had been stopped on government orders.

Since the formation of Jharkhand in 2000, residents of Ranchi, the state capital of Jharkhand, experienced the first incident of Internet shutdown on June 10, 2022.

Following which, Internet services in Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur district were suspended on the night of April 9, 2023 after incidents of stone-pelting and communal clashes were reported from the local areas.

The final order by Jharkhand HC comes as a reiteration of procedural guarantees that must be observed in imposing internet shutdowns in India – which stands as the leader in internet shutdowns globally. Counsels Prasanth Sugathan and Arjun Adrian D’Souza from SFLC.in assisted in the filing of the petition. Shailesh Poddar from SFLC’s Digital Defenders Network appeared for the petitioners.

SFLC.in will be discussing the law laid down by the Supreme Court in the coming days.