SC issues notices on JK prepaid ban

New Delhi, Nov 16: The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Centre and Jammu Kashmir Government on a petition challenging the imposition of the ban on pre-paid mobile services in the border state.

The petition, filed by Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party on Nov 5, had challenged the ban and sought an urgent hearing on the matter.

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

According to the petition, "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."

The petition also contended as to why the same procedure could not be adopted for verification of the subscriber seeking a pre-paid plan as adopted in the case of the post-paid service.

The government has ordered that no fresh pre-paid mobile connections should be issued in Jammu Kashmir after Nov 1 due to security concerns.

OneIndia News