Notice issued to Centre, Jammu and Kashmir Government on pre-paid mobile ban by SC

New Delhi, Nov 16 (ANI): The Supreme Court (SC) today issued notices to the Center and the Jammu and Kashmir Government on an appeal challenging imposition of the prohibit on pre-paid mobile services in the border state.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, sought the rejoinder of the Ministries of Home and Telecom and the state government within two weeks.

The petition, filed by Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party on November 5, had confronted the ban and sought an imperative hearing on the issue.

Advocate Bhim Singh, the chairman of the party had challenged the order imposed by the government to ban pre-paid cell phone services in the state from November 1 and described it as firm and illogical.

"The ban order is unconstitutional, improper, authoritarian and arbitrary and violative of the Article 14, 19 and 21 among other provisions of the Constitution of India," said the petition.

Condemning the government for not focusing on the ban issue, the appeal challenged as to why the same process could not be taken for authentication of the subscriber seeking a pre-paid plan as followed in the case of post paid service.

The government has issued strict orders that no new prepaid mobile connection should be issued and the existing pre-paid SIM cards should not be renewed in the state after November 1 on grounds of security. (ANI)