The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that there was nothing wrong in banning mobile internet to maintain law and order, finding no fault with the Gujarat government’s decision during the Patidar agitation in the state, reports the Hindustan Times.
“There can be such ban for law and order,” said a bench of Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justice R Bhanumathi while upholding the Gujarat High Court’s verdict that had declared the ban was right.
The Supreme Court’s decision came on an appeal filed by Gaurav Sureshbhai Vyas who had challenged the High Court verdict. The ban was imposed under Section 144 of the criminal procedure code, notified by the police when it apprehends a law and order problem. The prohibitory orders prevent an unlawful assembly.
The petitioner’s lawyer, Apar Gupta, argued the ban under the CrPc was untenable. He contended there was a special law – the Telegraph Act – to deal with such situations. A special law will override the general statue and so the ban should not have been imposed under Section 144.
Read the full report here.
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