Jharkhand HC Seeks Government's Response Over 11.5-Hour Internet Suspension For JSSC CGL exam

Internet service will be disrupted across the entire state on Sunday, due to the Jharkhand Graduate Level Joint Competitive Examination, being conducted at 823 centers statewide. On the Jharkhand government’s directive, internet services will remain suspended from 4 AM to 3:30 PM.

Earlier, on Saturday, internet services were also suspended from 8 AM to 1:30 PM as per the Friday order issued by Vandana Dadel, Principal Secretary of the Home, Jail, and Disaster Management Department. This measure, according to the department, was taken by the government to ensure a malpractice-free examination.

Court Hearing on Internet Shutdown Petition

Meanwhile, the Jharkhand High Court, through a division bench comprising Justice Anand Sen and Justice Anubha Rawat Chaudhary, heard a petition challenging the suspension of internet services in the state. During the hearing, the court questioned whether the state government has the authority to suspend internet services during examinations.

A follow-up hearing will take place in four weeks. Despite the High Court typically being closed on Saturdays, a special bench was formed for this matter. Advocate Rajendra Krishna filed the petition on Saturday morning at 8 AM, requesting an urgent hearing. Subsequently, a notification was issued for the division bench to hear the case around 12:30 PM.

Impact of Internet Shutdown on Public Life

During the hearing, Advocate Rajendra Krishna argued that the government’s decision to suspend internet services for the JSSC (CGL) exam had severely affected public life. He questioned under what law or authority the state had imposed the shutdown. With increasing reliance on net banking and UPI payments, people were facing significant disruptions in transactions and daily activities due to the internet outage.

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The government defended its decision, stating that the internet service suspension was implemented to prevent exam malpractices and affirmed that the state has the right to take such actions. The court has directed the government to file a formal response regarding the issue.