India Is Only Democracy That Routinely Resorts To Internet Ban: Shashi Tharoor

India is the only democracy in the world that routinely resorts to Internet shutdowns for extended periods of time inconveniencing ordinary citizens, said senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday.

Tharoor's statement comes a day ahead of the Supreme Court's hearing on Manipur which has been the seat of ethnic violence for the past two months.

"The Supreme Court will hear on Monday the government's appeal against a Manipur High Court order, relaxing the draconian ban on the internet that has crippled digital life in the state for the last three months. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology had sharply observed in 2022 that there is no justification provided by the government that demonstrates in any way that internet shutdowns actually impede, let alone prevent, violence or terrorism anywhere," Tharoor tweeted.

"It is a reflexive bureaucratic action that causes far more inconvenience to ordinary citizens then a useful security measure. It is bizarre that India is the only democracy in the world that routinely resorts to internet shutdowns for extended periods of time, with no appreciable effect on violence, but causing considerable inconvenience to ordinary citizens," he added.

"I hope the Supreme Court will stand up for the rights of citizens rather than for the blinkered babus who are completely indifferent to the impact of their decisions on citizens who use the Internet for banking, credit card transactions, enrolments, examinations, and to obtain all kinds of vital information. The Court must end this awful practice now!," Tharoor further added.

The central government has moved the Supreme Court over the Manipur high court's July 7 order directing to lift the ban on the internet in the state.

Manipur has been witnessing violence stemming from the clashes between Kuku and Meitei communities.