In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court today declared that the right to internet is also part of freedom of speech and expression, and an indefinite ban on the internet is an abuse of power. The court ordered that the Jammu & Kashmir administration to review all restrictive orders within seven days, reported the Indian Express. Free speech and expression through the internet is a part of Article 19(1)(a) and restrictions on it should be in accordance with the restrictions on this right, the court said. Internet services have been suspended in Jammu & Kashmir for 158 days — the longest shutdown in India. The bench of justices NV Ramana, R Subhash Reddy and BR Gavai had heard a series of petitions on the matter, including those filed by Kashmir Times exeuctieditor Anuradha Bhasin and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad. The court had reserved its order on the matter on November 27, 2019. Orders to be made public: The court also ordered that all restrictive orders placed in the state, since the abrogation of Article 370 in August last year, are to be made public, so that they can be challenged in a court of law, such as the Jammu & Kashmir High Court and the Supreme Court. Internet shutdowns subject to judicial review: Suspending the internet should be reviewed hereon, such suspension can only be for a limited time period and is subject to judicial scrutiny, the court said, on a batch of petitions challenging the restrictions in Jammu &…
