Indian Supreme Court finds 150-day Internet blackout in Kashmir illegal

Enlarge / Indian prime minister Narendra Modi addresses the United Nations General Assembly in 2019. (credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The Indian region of Kashmir has had most Internet service blacked out since August. The government of Narendra Modi says the online blackout is a necessary security measure in the face of growing unrest in the region triggered by a change in Kashmir's status under the Indian constitution. (Kashmir's status within India has been a topic of controversy for decades.)

"The government says it was necessary to block the Internet to stop agitators orchestrating mass, potentially violent, protests against its decision to revoke Kashmir's special status," Reuters reports.

But on Friday, India's highest court rejected the government's rationale, arguing that the blackout violated Indian telecommunications laws.

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