Jammu Kashmir Telecom Powers Row: CM Omar Abdullah Backs LG’s Authority | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has defended the Union government’s decision to vest telecommunications powers in Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, saying the move was appropriate as matters related to security and law and order fall under the L-G’s jurisdiction.

“There is nothing wrong in giving these powers to the lieutenant governor during public safety events. This is the right thing. These powers should be with the lieutenant governor. This is not against the business rules or the reorganisation act,” Omar Abdullah told reporters.

The Chief Minister said any decision regarding suspension of mobile or internet services is taken by the Home Department, which functions under the L-G’s administration.

“If there is a need to stop mobile phone or internet services, the order will be issued by the home department, which is the responsibility of the L-G. If they have to lean on our shoulder for shooting the gun, it would not be good for us as we have no role in it,” he said.

The remarks come days after the Union government authorised the Lieutenant Governor to exercise powers under Section 20(2) of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 in situations involving public safety and emergencies in Jammu and Kashmir.

The order empowers the L-G administration to issue directions for interception of communication, monitoring telecom services and temporary suspension of transmission as permitted under law.

Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Hameed Karra criticised the Centre’s decision to enhance the L-G’s powers in the telecommunications sector, calling it “another dent on the democratic governance mechanism of the elected government in JK”.

“The decision to hand sweeping telecom powers, including Internet shutdowns, interception, blocking of communication networks, and decryption authority to the unelected power corridor of Jammu and Kashmir is yet another dent on the democratic governance mechanism of the elected government in JK,” Karra said.

He said the move reinforced the perception that despite the presence of an elected government, “real authority continues to remain concentrated elsewhere”.

“National security and public safety are important, but extraordinary powers without democratic accountability in a region that has already suffered repeated communication clampdowns raise serious policy concerns,” he said, adding that democracy could not be restored politically while governance remained centralised administratively.

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary also questioned the Centre’s move, saying the people of Jammu and Kashmir had witnessed similar decisions in the past and were aware of their implications.