The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the Jammu and Kashmir high court's order lifting the ban on SMS services, which allegedly was aggravating the violence by spreading the rumours during the ongoing protest on the Amarnath land transfer row.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan also stayed the high court direction asking the district administration to treat press identity cards issued to media persons as curfew passes to enable them to perform their professional duties.

The state government had imposed a ban on the SMS services on Sunday on the ground it was being used to whip up communal tension through rumours.