Internet services can not be banned for conducting exams: Rajasthan high court

Jaipur: The Internet services will remain unaffected in Rajasthan when the administration conducts competitive exam in the state. The Rajasthan high court slammed the government for banning the Internet to rein in on cases of paper leaks and cheating.

The double bench of Justice Sangeet Lodha and Dinesh Mehta gave these orders while hearing a petition.

As per the petition filed in the court, the internet services can be banned only when there is some public emergency in the state. Competitive exams are held in the state from time to time and the administration can’t just terminate the internet. Examinations do not fall under the category of an emergency. The administration has to make efforts to step up security measures during the exams rather than banning the internet services, the high court said.

The internet services were banned more than 10 times in the state this year when the administration conducted exams including RAS prelims and police constable recruitment. It caused inconvenience to general public, the petitioner argued.

Due to the internet- ban students faced several problems in booking cabs and finding locations for the exam’s centers using their phones. People were not able to order food online, pay bills, book tickets online and use other internet services in the state leading to a huge loss of revenue.

According to cyber security experts, snapping internet services during the exams is not the permanent solution to stop cheating or paper leaks.