Kashmir blackout: the longest internet shutdown in a democracy

What happened

On 5 August 2019, the government abrogated Article 370, ending Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status and bifurcating the state into two union territories. In the hours before the announcement, the region was placed under a total communications blackout — mobile networks, landlines and the internet were cut, movement was restricted, and thousands of people were detained, including mainstream politicians and three former chief ministers, some of them held under the Public Safety Act.

Landlines and limited connectivity returned in stages, but full 4G mobile internet was restored only on 5 February 2021 — after 213 days of no internet and 550 days of full or partial shutdown, described by digital-rights groups as the longest internet shutdown imposed by any democracy. The blackout disrupted healthcare, education, journalism and livelihoods for a population of roughly 12 million.

What the official record found

In Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India (10 January 2020), the Supreme Court held that freedom of expression and the freedom to carry on trade through the internet are constitutionally protected under Article 19, that an indefinite suspension of internet services is impermissible, and that shutdown orders must be published, necessary, proportionate and subject to periodic review. The court did not immediately restore connectivity, instead directing the administration to review its orders.

Where it stands

In December 2023 the Supreme Court upheld the abrogation of Article 370 itself — the constitutional change was ruled valid, and statehood has been promised. The communications blackout and mass detentions that accompanied it remain on record, and the Anuradha Bhasin principles now govern every internet shutdown in India, even as shutdowns continue to be imposed elsewhere in the country.