HC seeks state’s reply on internet shutdown during constable exam

: The Rajasthan high court on Wednesday issued notices to the state government in connection with suspending internet services for two days during the constable recruitment examination.

The division bench of Justice Nirmaljeet Kaur and Justice Dinesh Mehta, during a hearing on PIL filed by petitioner Dhirendra Singh, asked how long would the internet services be suspended to prevent cheating in the recruitment examination.

“We told the court that cutting off internet services in most of the districts in the state has led common man to face difficulties. The call to suspend internet services was not in the public interest,” petitioner’s counsel, Nitin Gokhlani said.

The high court sought the response of the home secretary and the divisional commissioner on suspending internet services. According to the internet shutdown tracker web portal, Rajasthan is the second such state after Jammu and Kashmir, to shut down internet services quite often.

The internet service was suspended in the state for two days on July 14 and 15 from 6 am to 5 pm during the tests for the recruitment of police constables.

Internet services have been suspended 26 times in the state this year. It was suspended once in 2015, six times in 2016 and 19 times in 2017.

Internet services were suspended 94 times in Jammu and Kashmir and 52 times in Rajasthan.

JODHPUR