The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Rajasthan government’s order asking mobile operators to remove all cell towers within 500 metres of jail premises by June 8, 2017, reported The Hindu.
The operation of the order was frozen by a the vacation bench comprising Justices AK Sikri and Deepak Gupta. The stay came after a plea by the Cellular Operators Association of India, which was represented by senior advocate Kapil Sibal.
The COAI said they would have to remove 500 towers if the order was implemented, which would affect services to around 80 lakh customers. According to the COAI, there are 400 base transceiver stations within 500 metres of jail premises in the state, which also cater to 80 lakh subscribers. It argued that the quality of service would be severely affected if the cell towers were removed.
The association sought directions to the state not to seal the mobile towers and also asked that no coercive measures be made against them.
In November 27, 2012 the Rajasthan High Court had ruled that mobile towers be removed from near hospitals and schools within two months, and those within 500 m of jails in six months.
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