"After nearly 100 days of a mobile internet blackout in Manipur, the Manipur High Court has directed the state government to explore the possibility of providing mobile internet services by 'whitelisting' mobile numbers on a case-by-case basis. The bench, comprising Justice Ahanthem Bimol Singh and Justice A. Guneshwar Sharma, issued this order in response to multiple Public Interest Litigations (PILs) filed by various parties seeking the restoration of internet services in the state.
This recent order follows the lifting of the internet ban on Internet Lease Line (ILL) connections in the state a month ago, as directed by the High Court. The court had required the state government to ensure that all stakeholders adhered to the safeguards recommended by an Expert Committee. In line with the court's order, the Manipur Government ended the ban on broadband services on July 25, after 83 days of Internet shutdown, leaving only mobile internet services suspended.
The state government informed the High Court that it had conducted a physical trial to determine the feasibility of providing internet through mobile phones by whitelisting specific mobile numbers. The report submitted by service providers confirmed that there was no data leakage to non-whitelisted numbers. Building on this, the counsel for the petitioners urged the court to direct the state government to initiate the process of whitelisting mobile numbers, considering the absence of data leakage.
Acknowledging the petitioners' submission, the State authorities sought two weeks to formulate measures for whitelisting mobile numbers in a phased manner. The High Court granted the authorities the requested time and instructed them to devise appropriate mechanisms for providing internet services through mobile phones by whitelisting numbers on a case-by-case basis. The court has asked for a report from the state government on this matter by the next hearing on August 31.
The mobile internet blackout in Manipur was instituted amidst ethnic violence between the Meitei people and the Kuki-Zo tribal community earlier this year. This conflict has resulted in numerous casualties and over 160 lives lost.
The Supreme Court has also expressed concern about the violence and its impact on women, urging a committee of three former High Court Judges to address the rehabilitation and relief needs of survivors. The committee includes Gita Mittal, former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court; Justice Asha Menon, former Judge of Delhi High Court; and Justice Shalini Phansalkar Joshi, former Judge of Bombay High Court."
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