Guwahati: The Manipur High Court on Friday directed the state government to find ways to provide mobile internet services to the people of the strife-torn state.
The High Court was hearing a batch of petitions filed by several parties seeking the restoration of mobile internet services in the state.
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During the hearing, counsel for the state authorities, M Rarry, submitted that in accordance with the earlier directions given by the court, the state government had issued necessary orders lifting the ban on providing internet through broadband services in a liberalized manner, subject to the fulfilment of certain safeguards, terms, and conditions.
As of now, many members of the public have availed of these internet services.
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Rarry further submitted that the authorities had conducted physical trials with regard to revoking the mobile internet ban by whitelisting certain mobile numbers.
According to the report submitted by the service providers, there was no data leakage to any other numbers that were not whitelisted.
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Therefore, the High Court could pass an appropriate order directing the state to take necessary steps to whitelist mobile phones in a gradual manner in order to provide internet services.
In this regard, Rarry further submitted that the state authorities may be given two weeks to devise certain measures and mechanisms for whitelisting mobile phones, and the liberty to whitelist mobile numbers on a case-by-case basis and in a phased manner.
The High Court will hear the matter again on August 31.
Internet services were indefinitely banned in Manipur from May 3 after violence erupted in the state.
Over 160 people have been killed and several hundred have been injured since the ethnic clashes broke out after a “Tribal Solidarity March” was organized in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Although there have been no reports of any major incident in the last two days, simmering tension still prevails throughout the state.
Security forces have been maintaining a tight vigil to prevent any untoward incident from happening again.