Image Source: livelaw.in
Private Schools Association, having 3800 members, has moved to the Supreme Court for seeking 4G restoration which is restricted since the abrogation of the state's special status on 5 August 2019. The Association contended before the court that the applications like Zoom and Google Classroom do not work in 2G internet speed. the Association contended that after the pandemic offline classes were not possible and online video conferencing apps through which online classes could be taken do not work effectively in 2G internet speed. Students in J&K are at a great competitive disadvantage when compared to the students of other parts of the country.
In the other writ filed, the Association contended before the court that the restrictions imposed are wholly unwarranted in the present scenario. The number of terrorist activities and stone-pelting activities have come down drastically after 5 August 2019. There are other alternatives that government can use to curb or keep eye on terrorist activities.
It is the third filed in the Supreme Court for the restoration of the 4G internet. The first writ was filed in the case Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India and the second in Foundation of Media Professionals v. Union of India. In both of these cases, the Supreme Court did not order for the immediate restoration but ordered the government to review the restrictions and to adopt other alternatives. Till now, 4G internet is restored in two districts- Gandebal (Kashmir Division) and Udhampur (Jammu Division).