{"id":114646,"date":"2026-07-23T11:03:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T05:33:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=114646"},"modified":"2026-07-23T11:03:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T05:33:50","slug":"internet-shutdowns-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/internet-shutdowns-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Internet Shutdowns in India &#8211; Legal Framework and Supreme Court Rulings"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Internet Shutdowns Latest News<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mobile internet services were shut down in parts of Central Delhi during the &#8216;Chalo Sansad&#8217; protest, raising fresh concerns about the legal framework governing internet shutdowns and their impact on fundamental rights.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>About Internet Shutdowns<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An internet shutdown, as defined by the web rights advocacy organisation Access Now, is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;an intentional disruption of internet or electronic communications, rendering them inaccessible or effectively unusable, for a specific population or within a location, often to control the flow of information.&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Forms of Internet Shutdowns<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Full network disruptions: complete blackout of internet services.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Slowing down internet speed: throttling connectivity.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blocking specific platforms: restricting access to particular websites or apps.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mobile-only shutdowns: disabling mobile internet while keeping broadband active.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>When Are They Ordered?<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the International Federation of Journalists, most internet shutdowns are ordered when:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Large numbers of people gather for political reasons.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Peaceful demonstrations are expected to take place.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Violent protests may occur.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Religious celebrations draw large crowds.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Public examinations are being conducted to prevent cheating.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Legal Framework Governing Internet Shutdowns<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Earlier Framework<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Internet shutdowns in India were earlier governed by:<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Current Framework<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Section 20 of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/telecommunications-act-2023\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Telecommunications Act, 2023<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Telecommunications (Temporary Suspension of Services) Rules, 2024.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under Section 20(2)(b) of the Telecommunications Act, 2023, telecommunication services may be suspended only:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the occurrence of a public emergency.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the interest of public safety.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the grounds specified in the provision.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For reasons recorded in writing.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Procedural Requirements<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be reasoned and published.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be limited in area and duration.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be issued by the competent authority under the 2024 Rules.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider whether less restrictive measures would be sufficient.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not remain in force for over 15 days.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A protest, by itself, is not a lawful ground for suspending internet services.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Continued Use of Outdated Provisions<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the updated legal framework, a review by the Digital Defenders Network found that several shutdown orders issued by State governments since late 2024 continue to invoke the older Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and the 2017 Rules. For instance:<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Secretary, Home Department, Uttar Pradesh, issued an internet suspension order for Bareilly district on October 2, 2025.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The order invoked Section 7 of the Telegraph Act read with Rule 2(1) of the 2017 Rules.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By continuing to rely on these outdated provisions, some States appear to have bypassed the procedural safeguards introduced under the 2024 Rules.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Supreme Court Rulings on Internet Shutdowns<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>The Anuradha Bhasin Case (2020)<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the landmark Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India (2020) case, the Supreme Court held that access to the internet is closely connected to fundamental freedoms under the Constitution:<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Article 19(1)(a): freedom of speech and expression.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Article 19(1)(g): freedom of trade and profession.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>The Court held that any shutdown must:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be backed by law.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pursue a legitimate objective.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be necessary and proportionate.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be the least restrictive measure available.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be limited in scope and duration.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be accompanied by detailed reasons.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be published for public scrutiny.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be reviewed by a competent committee.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court observed that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;complete broad suspension of telecom services, be it the internet or otherwise, must be considered by the State only if &#8216;necessary&#8217; and &#8216;unavoidable&#8217;.&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>India&#8217;s Track Record on Internet Shutdowns<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India continues to record one of the highest numbers of internet shutdowns in the world:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Access Now&#8217;s 2025 report recorded 65 shutdowns across 12 States and Union Territories.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India has recorded about 24 shutdowns in 2026 so far.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the SFLC Internet Shutdown Tracker:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jammu &amp; Kashmir: the highest number with about 449 since 2012.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rajasthan: 115 shutdowns.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Manipur: 62 shutdowns.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>News Summary<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mobile internet services were shut down in parts of Central Delhi during the &#8216;Chalo Sansad&#8217; protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Key aspects include:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thousands of people gathered on the opening day of Parliament&#8217;s Monsoon Session.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protesters demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The protest followed the NEET paper leaks and irregularities in the CBSE school examination process.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The internet shutdown remained in place until the evening.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Ministry of Home Affairs imposed the order across 150 cell sites, according to an industry source.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The order was imposed under Clause (b) of Sub-section (2) of Section 20 of the Telecommunication Act, 2023, read with the 2024 Rules.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Legal Recourse Against Shutdown Orders<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A shutdown order may be challenged in court through:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High Court under Article 226: for writ petitions within a state&#8217;s jurisdiction.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Supreme Court under Article 32: in appropriate cases involving fundamental rights.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Courts can examine whether the order was:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lawful and issued by the competent authority.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Proportionate to the situation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Properly limited in area and duration.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Supported by valid reasons.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indefinite suspensions are unlawful. The government must publish its orders and provide reasons capable of judicial review.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Way Forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Legislative Reforms<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensure strict compliance with the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and the 2024 Rules.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discontinue the use of outdated Telegraph Act provisions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Establish clearer criteria for what constitutes a public emergency.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Provide for automatic judicial review of shutdown orders.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Institutional Safeguards<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strengthen the review committee mechanism.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensure timely publication of all shutdown orders.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maintain a central public database of shutdowns.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enable easier legal challenges to shutdown orders.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Policy Approaches<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Explore less restrictive alternatives such as targeted platform blocking.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Provide advance notice where possible.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensure the shortest possible duration of shutdowns.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider the cumulative impact on affected populations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Transparency Measures<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regular reporting to Parliament on shutdowns.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Public consultations on the framework.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enhanced judicial oversight of orders.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Civil society engagement in policy formulation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/delhi-internet-shutdown-during-cjp-protest-where-does-the-law-stand-explained\/article71252474.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Internet shutdowns in India are governed by the Telecommunications Act 2023 and Supreme Court rulings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":114656,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[6595,60,22,59],"class_list":["post-114646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","tag-internet-shutdowns","tag-mains-articles","tag-upsc-current-affairs","tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs-tag","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114646"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114646\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114670,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114646\/revisions\/114670"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}