India’s supreme court declares Internet a fundamental human right

According to a news report, the Supreme Court of India has made a pronouncement that the Internet restrictions that has lasted for several months in Jammu and Kashmir is a breach of fundamental human rights and unconstitutional.

The court based its decision on the interpretation of Article 19(1) of the Indian constitution, according to the report. The supreme court ruled that Article 19(1) guarantees the right to freedom of expression and that a complete restriction of access to the Internet could only be imposed in extraordinary situations. The court therefore ruled that repeated orders by the Indian government to shutdown the Internet in Kashmir, lasting several months is clearly an abuse of power and contradicts the constitution.