State governments responded to this by suspending the Internet.
Assam witnessed a suspension of mobile and broadband Internet services in many places, including in Guwahati for 10 days.
There were Internet bans in Mangaluru, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
These bans are being imposed under different provisions of the law.
These include Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885.
Some are imposed without any legal provisions at all.
How significant is internet in people’s life?
Internet broadband and mobile Internet services are a lifeline to people in India from all walks of life.
Internet is a main source of information and communication and access to social media.
More than that, people working in the technology-based gig economy depend on the Internet for their livelihoods.
E.g. delivery workers for Swiggy, Dunzo and Amazon and the cab drivers of Uber and Ola
Internet is also a mode of access to education for students who do courses and take exams online.
Access to the Internet is thus important to facilitate the promotion and enjoyment of the right to education.
The Internet provides access to transport for millions of urban and rural people.
It is also a mode of access to health care for those who avail of health services online.
Internet is a means for business and occupation for thousands of small and individual-owned enterprises selling products and services online.
Should internet be a right then?
Access to the Internet is thus a right that is very similar to what the Supreme Court held with respect to the right to privacy.
It is a right that is located through all fundamental rights and freedoms.
Internationally, the right to access to the Internet is spelt out in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
It states that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
This right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
The Human Rights Council in a UN resolution made important declarations on promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet.
The resolution affirmed that the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online.
These include, in particular, freedom of expression, which is applicable regardless of frontiers and through any media of one’s choice.
The Kerala high court too recently acknowledged this in the case involving Faheema Shirin, an 18-year-old BA student.
She filed a petition seeking to set aside the rule that denied internet access to women students at night in her hostel.
It is time that India recognises that the right to access to the Internet is indeed a fundamental right within constitutional guarantees.
