Centre Says It Cannot Revoke Ban on Pre-paid Mobiles in J&K
Informing the Supreme Court, the Centre has said that it cannot revoke its decision to ban pre-paid mobile services in Jammu and Kashmir due to security reasons.
“We cannot revoke the ban. It is due to the security reasons the ban on pre-paid mobile services has been imposed,” Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium told the apex court while placing an affidavit in the regard.
The bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice B S Chauhan asked the petitioner to file its reply and posted the matter for further hearing on January 25.
On December 15, the apex court had granted the Centre and Jammu and Kashmir government time of two weeks to respond on a petition challenging the ban on pre-paid mobile phone service in the state.
The apex court had on November 16 issued notices to the ministries of Home and Telecom and the state government asking them to respond within two weeks about security concerns and economical issues raised in the PIL, filed by the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party.
Advocate Bhim Singh, who is the Chairman of the party, had contended that the government’s order to ban pre-paid cell phone services in the state from November 1 was “authoritarian and arbitrary”.
