Opposition leaders caution against granting L-G enhanced powers over telecom in J&K

J&K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra on Sunday (May 10, 2026) termed the recent move to enhance Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha’s powers in the Union Territory’s telecommunications sector as “another dent on the democratic governance mechanism of the elected government in J&K”.

“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 & Kashmir is yet another dent on the democratic governance mechanism of the elected government in J&K,” Mr. Karra, J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president and legislator from Srinagar, said.

Mr. Karra said for years, promises were made about restoration of trust, democratic empowerment and strengthening of institutions in J&K. “But such moves only reinforce the feeling that despite an elected setup, real authority continues to remain concentrated elsewhere,” said the Congress leader.

National security and public safety are important, he said, “But extraordinary powers without democratic accountability in a region that has already suffered repeated communication clampdowns raise serious policy concerns.”

“Democracy cannot be restored politically while governance continues to be centralised administratively,” Mr. Karra said.

J&K Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary was also critical of the Centre’s move. “Handing over telecommunication to the L-G is yet another step — let’s see what they do. We have seen many such moves before, and people know well what was done during their reign,” Mr. Choudhary said.

A few days ago, the Union government vested the L-G with powers to act under the provisions of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 in situations concerning public safety and emergencies J&K.

Authorised to perform functions of the State government under Section 20(2) of the Telecommunications Act, 2023, the order enabled the L-G administration to issue directions for interception of communication, monitoring telecom services, and temporarily suspending transmission where permitted under law.