• Manipur HC directs govt to partially lift ban on internet

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    Manipur HC directs govt to partially lift ban on internet

    The court will hear the case on July 25 and has requested a thorough report from the Manipur administration.



    Digital Desk: Even though the ethnic violence was still going on, the Manipur High Court on Saturday ordered the state administration to partially suspend the internet ban.


    In addition, the high court ordered the state administration to conduct practical tests and determine whether permitting internet access on mobile devices is feasible while protecting "citizens' life and property."


    The court will hear the case on July 25 and has requested a thorough report from the Manipur administration.


    After hearing numerous PILs about the internet ban, a bench of Justices A Bimol and A Guneshwor Sharma stated that the home department could provide internet service in the case of Fibre To The Home (FTTH) connections on a case-by-case basis.

    The bench further stated that the Manipur government was required to ensure that the committee's suggested safeguards were followed while it was making its decision.


    The high court was previously informed by a 12-member expert committee that internet access for the people of Manipur could be provided through broadband connections, either through Internet Leased Line (ILL) or FTTH, as long as "static IP, banning of Wifi/Hotspots from any of the routers or systems, blocking of social media websites and VPNs at the local level, removal of VPN software from the system, prohibiting the installation of new software by any user, and enforcing physical monitoring.


    Since Friday night, two automobiles have been burned out while two people have been hurt. In the Meitei-majority Bishnupur district, a farmer was shot as he was out cultivating paddy on Saturday.


    In a separate instance, a mortar thrown by the criminals from the foothill area damaged a teenager's house in Kwakta in the same district, injuring him with splinters. On Friday night in Imphal, two vehicles were set on fire by a mob close to the Kangla Fort.