On December 17, the Gauhati High Court heard a PIL challenging the internet shutdown imposed in Assam in the wake of the protests against the citizenship law. It contended that the ban had not been reviewed to ascertain the necessity of its continuation. The PIL also challenged the constitutional validity of the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services Public Safety or Public Emergency Act of 2017, under which the ban was imposed. The court, however, said it would confine its consideration for the moment to the necessity of the continuation of shutdown, and directed the Assam government to restore mobile internet services.