No civilian was privy to Article 370 abrogation: MHA

SRINAGAR — The Government of India on Wednesday responded in negative to a query “whether it is a fact that civilians, not the employee of the Central Government including a journalist, were privy to knowledge about the abrogation of Article 370 prior to this information being shared with Parliament on August 5, 2019.”

“No, sir,” said Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs, G. Kishan Reddy while responding to the question by Congress leader from Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha.

“Does not arise,” Reddy said in reply to a subsequent question, seeking to know the reasons and the details of all civilians given access to this information and the rationale for providing them same “instead of sharing with the Parliament first.”

Meanwhile, responding to a separate query by parliamentarians Vivek K. Tankha and Dr. Amee Yajnik regarding the resumption of high-speed 4G Internet services in Jammu and Kashmir, Reddy said: “Considering the overall security scenario and in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the Government of Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir issues orders from time to time regulating telecom/Internet services in Jammu and Kashmir in terms of the applicable rules and the principles laid down and directions contained in the relevant judgments of the Supreme Court of India.”

He said the 4G Internet services were restored in district of Ganderbal and Udhampur since 16.08.2020. “Restrictions on mobile data service in all the remaining districts of Jammu and Kashmir have been revoked by the Government of Jammu & Kashmir vide its order dated 05.02.2021,” he added.