The Supreme Court today granted two weeks time to the Centre and Jammu and Kashmir government to respond on a petition challenging the ban on pre-paid mobile phone services in the state.<br/>A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices J M Panchal and B S Chauhan posted the matter for further hearing on January 8. The apex court had on November 16 issued notices to the ministries of Home and Telecom and the state government asking them to respond within two weeks about security concerns and economical issues raised in the PIL, filed by the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party. The PIL had challenged imposition of the ban on pre-paid mobile services in the border state. The government has ordered that no fresh pre-paid mobile connections be issued in Jammu and Kashmir and existing pre-paid SIM cards should not be renewed in the state after November 1 due to reasons of security. According to the PIL, the ban has resulted into 20,000 youths losing their jobs.<br/>