ASSOCIATED PRESS Kashmiri journalists hold placards and protest against 100 days of internet blockade in the region in Srinagar, Kashmir, Nov. 12, 2019.

In a major ruling on Friday, the Supreme Court said that the right to access internet was a fundamental right under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution. Restrictions on internet have to follow principles of proportionality under Article 19(2), the court said. The top court asked the Jammu and Kashmir administration to publish and review all restrictive orders, including the internet shutdown, in the region within a week. It also asked the administration to restore Internet services in all institutions providing essential services like hospitals and educational centres, PTI reported. Advertisement The top court was delivering its verdict on a batch of pleas, including that of Kashmir Times editor Anuradha Bhasin, challenging the restrictions imposed in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of provisions of Article 370. The pleas challenged the clampdown on communication and internet services in the region. “This freedom can only be restricted after relevant factors are considered and only if there are no other options,” Justice Ramana said, according to LiveLaw. As he read out the judgment, Justice Ramana said the court would not delve into the political intent behind the prohibitory orders. Advertisement

The internet shutdown in Kashmir over five months is the longest in a democratic country. David Kaye, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, had called the shutdown “unprecendented” and said that the communication blackout following the abrogation of Article 370 was a ‘disproportionate’ interference with the rights of Kashmiris. A bench of Justice NV Ramana, Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice B R Gavai had reserved the judgement on November 27 last year. On internet shutdowns On Friday, the court said that indefinite suspension of the internet was not permissible and was a violation of Telecom Rules. Advertisement