This notation is often used to avoid the "mixed content" problem (a IE warning message complaining about http and https resources on the same HTTPS page).
A relative reference that begins with two slash characters is termed
a network-path reference; such references are rarely used. A
relative reference that begins with a single slash character is
termed an absolute-path reference. A relative reference that does
not begin with a slash character is termed a relative-path reference.
Be aware of that it is not only http or https independent, but also file, ftp, etc.
It means if you open .htm file directly in your browser on localhost, browser will resolve // as file protocol and your page won't work. It may cause problems in packed websites as "native" app using tools like Electron, PhoneGap, etc.