Telecom Companies 'Confirm' Delhi Internet Shutdown Order, Government Yet to Publish It
New Delhi: Telecom service providers confirmed receiving government orders to block mobile internet in central Delhi on Monday (July 20) even as no copy of the suspension orders has been placed in public domain by the government.
The government had imposed a partial internet shutdown on account of the Cockroach Janta Party’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ march on the first day of the monsoon session of the parliament. Protesters alleged that mobile internet was blocked as early as 10 am.
According to the Hindustan Times, directions were issued to telecom service providers (TSPs), including Airtel, Jio and Vi. Officials at two major telecom companies confirmed the government’s directive, the report said. Services were restored around 6 pm, the officials said.
However, it is not known which public authority issued the orders.
The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), a digital rights advocacy group, while condemning the internet shutdown said, “The [Supreme] Court directed that every order suspending telecom services must be published. Reasons must be recorded in writing. The restriction must be proportionate, adopting the least restrictive measure available. It cannot continue indefinitely. It is subject to judicial review, and to scrutiny by a review committee. If we account for today's shutdown against this legal architecture. The order is unpublished, in breach of Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India, and the Suspension Rules, 2024 alike.”
The group pointed out that if the government does not make the order public, it is not possible to verify if a competent authority issued the order and whether the review committee will examine it in the stipulated time.
“An unpublished order is an unaccountable order. It cannot be challenged before a court, and the judicial review guaranteed by the Supreme Court becomes illusory,” IFF said.
Internet shutdowns in India
In December 2019, mobile services were cut in parts of Delhi – including Seelampur, Jamia Nagar and Mandi House – amid protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, marking the first instance of an internet shutdown in the national capital, IFF said.
Similar restrictions were imposed in January 2021 around Singhu, Ghazipur, Tikri, Mukarba Chowk, Nangloi and nearby areas during the farmers' protests, it added.
A March 2026 report by the #KeepItOn coalition found that India recorded 65 shutdowns in 2025 and has been responsible for 920 of the 2,102 internet disruptions documented worldwide since 2016.
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