Overview
- The gazette notification, issued Thursday, directs LG Manoj Sinha to exercise state‑government powers under Section 20(2) of the Telecommunications Act, 2023.
- The authorization lets the LG suspend internet and calling services, intercept or monitor messages, block transmissions, and order decryption during a public emergency or for public safety.
- The Union Home Ministry issued the order under Article 239(1), and it applies subject to the President’s control and until further orders.
- The move clarifies who wields these powers in Jammu and Kashmir as a Union Territory, a role that rested with the state government before the region’s status changed.
- Telecom firms may receive direct orders to cut or monitor services during security incidents, a practice used in past unrest, as the 2023 law replaces older statutes and expands the government’s emergency toolkit.