Apar GuptaThe Pegasus case frames CJI Ramana’s legacy: Great expectations only to be met with greater disappointment.
Archives for the month August 2022
The issues with maximum data and minimum privacy
Anniversaries, when meaningful, are not mechanical celebrations played out each year, but prompt deeper reflection. This month marks not only 75 years of Independence but also five years of the right to privacy judgment. On August 24, 2017, the Supreme Court reaffirmed privacy to be a fundamental right, linking it to each fundamental right under the Constitution. It prescribed tests that became legal qualifiers for ensuring an effective framework for state and corporate accountability to ensure the autonomy, liberty and dignity for all Indians.
Withdrawal of Personal Data Protection Bill: Who benefits from the delay?
On Wednesday, the Minister for the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MEITY), Ashwini Vaishnaw, withdrew the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019. The reasons for the withdrawal were circulated in a note to MPs, which stated that, “considering the report of the JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee), a comprehensive legal framework is being worked upon…”. The decision lays waste years of labour and deliberation on a law essential for the protection of every Indian in a digitised society. Hence, it is important for us to understand its implications by first taking into account why the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 was introduced in Parliament, and second, whether its withdrawal is justified.