The Supreme Cour tin the case Chongtham Victor Singh & Anr.v.State of Manipur observed and has declined the urgent listing of a plea challenging the internet shutdown in the State of Manipur. The plea was moved in court wherein challenging the internet ban which has been continuing in the State of Manipur since May 3 2023 was being mentioned by Advocate Shadan Farasat.
The bench comprising of Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Rajesh Bindal in the case observed and has noted that the said matter was already ongoing before the High Court of Manipur, the vacation bench declined to urgently list the matter and the bench asked the counsel, Advocate Shadan Farasat to mention the matter before the regular court.
It has been stated by the Advocate Farasat while highlighting the urgency of the matter that this is with regards to the internet ban in the State of Manipur. It has been 35 days, since the ban has continued.
The court observed that the internet was shutdown in the State after riots being triggered due to a direction of the Manipur High Court for considering the inclusion of Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list.
The bench headed by Justice Bose remarked that, what is the need to duplicate the proceedings when High Court is already hearing the matter.
Adding to it, the bench asked the Farasat to mention the matter before the regular bench.
Facts of the Case: The Lawyer, Chongtham Victor Singh in the Manipur High Court, and Mayengbam James, a businessman, both stated to be residents of Manipur, had moved the plea before the court. The petitioner in the plea stated that the shutdown has had a significant economic, humanitarian, social, and psychological impact on both the Petitioners and their families and they are unable to send their children to school, access funds from banks, receive payments from clients, distribute salaries, or communicate via email or WhatsApp.
It has also been highlighted before the court that despite gradual return to normalcy, thus, the state-wide internet shutdown order issued by the Respondent on May 03, 2023 and May 04, 2023 was mechanically being extended on May 07, 2023, May 11, 2023, May 16, 2023, May 21, 2023 and May 26, 2023, which effectively resulted in an indefinite shutdown of the internet. Further, in the case there has been a complete blockade of internet access across the state for more than 24 days, wherein it caused significant harm to the rights of the Petitioners and other residents.
It has also been highlighted in the petitioner to the court that the State have, till date, not published the impugned orders imposing the suspension of Internet services, either on their website or on Twitter handle. Further, the petitioner in the plea seek direction to the Respondent for restoring the internet access in the state of Manipur and to declare the declaration of internet shut down in the state as ‘illegal’
However, Violence broke out in Manipur in the first week of May following a High Court direction in order to consider granting Scheduled Tribe status to Meitei community. Thus, another plea is pending in Top Court seeking independent probe into the clashes between different communities in the State. Thus, it has been announced by the Union of Minister that the matter will be investigated by a three-member panel headed by former Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Ajai Lamba.