The Home Department, Jammu and Kashmir has not issued any orders regarding restoration of 4G internet services in Jammu and Kashmir, said the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. The DIPR J&K issued this clarification through its Twitter handle after a fake order copy from the Home Department dated July 27, with directions to internet service providers to lift speed-related restrictions in the Union Territory, which had the name of the Principal Secretary to the government, Shaleen Kabra began circulating on social media platforms. “An order mentioning about the directions to Internet Service Providers for lifting speed-related instructions is under circulation in the social media. The order is fake and no such direction has been issued by Principal Secretary, Home Department, J&K,” the DIPR said in a tweet. Earlier, the Supreme Court on July 16 asked the Central government and Jammu and Kashmir administration to file a detailed affidavit on a contempt petition for allegedly violating its judgement over internet restrictions in the Union Territory. A three-judge bench headed by Justice NV Ramana and also comprising Justices R Subhash Reddy and BR Gavai, while hearing the petition filed by the Freedom for Media Professionals (FMP), directed the Centre and Jammu and Kashmir to file their affidavits within a week. Advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that due to the absence of 4G speed and connectivity, online classes for students, medical updates, e-commerce, online shopping, patients and doctors are suffering as they do not have access to information. Ahmadi said that the Union of India is not responding to representations being filed against the suspension of internet services and orders on the same aren’t being published. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted before the apex court that the Central government had constituted a committee, which had taken a decision on the same. Attorney General KK Venugopal also said that there is no question of contempt as a committee had been formed, to which, Justice Ramana said, “but nothing is in the public domain”. The contempt petition, filed on June 9, had alleged that there is a wilful failure on part of the government officials in complying with the orders of the Supreme Court in the matter. The apex court had, on May 11, directed that a “special committee” be constituted to “immediately” to determine the necessity of continued restriction of mobile internet speeds in Jammu and Kashmir to 2G only. The contempt petition said that despite 29 days having elapsed, there was no constitution of this committee.
