New Delhi, June 9 (IANS): The Supreme Court on Friday refused to urgently list a plea challenging the Internet shutdown in violence-hit Manipur since May 3.
A vacation bench comprising Justices Aniruddha Bose and Rajesh Bindal noted that the Manipur High Court is already hearing the matter, therefore there is no need to duplicate the proceedings.
"No need to duplicate proceedings," said the bench. Advocate Shadan Farasat, representing the petitioners, insisted for urgent listing of the matter. The bench said there is no urgency in the matter. "Let it go before the regular bench...," said the top court.
The plea has been filed by Chongtham Victor Singh, a lawyer in the Manipur High Court, and Mayengbam James, a businessman, both are residents of Manipur.
The plea submitted that Internet shutdown has had a significant economic, humanitarian, social, and psychological impact on both the petitioners and their families. It argued that petitioners have been unable to access funds from banks, receive payments from clients, distribute salaries, or communicate via email or WhatsApp.
The plea said, "In light of this grossly disproportionate interference with the petitioners' constitutional rights to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) and the right to carry on any trade or business under Article 19(1)(g) through the constitutionally protected medium of the Internet, the petitioners have filed this petition seeking a direction to the respondent to restore Internet access in the state of Manipur".
The plea sought a direction to declare various orders to shut down the Internet to be illegal.
