August 24, 2017: In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court today declared the right to privacy a fundamental right under the constitution. A nine-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar ruled that right to privacy is an intrinsic part of the Right to Life and Personal Liberty under Article 21 and entire Part III of the Constitution. The Government and parties across political spectrum have welcomed Apex Court’s verdict.
The bench unanimously overruled the two earlier judgements of the apex court that the right to privacy is not protected under the Constitution. Several petitioners had challenged the validity of the Aadhaar scheme on grounds of it being violative of the right to privacy.
The court had also voiced concern over the possible misuse of personal information in the public domain. The question whether Aadhaar violates right to privacy will be dealt with by the five-judge bench which has been hearing the petitions since 2015.
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad hailed the judgment and called it as a landmark verdict. He said, ‘Right to Privacy’ is part of ‘Right to Liberty’ and no right is absolute as it is subject to reasonable restrictions.
Mr. Prasad said, previous government of UPA brought AADHAAR without any legislative sanction whereas NDA government backed it with a comprehensive legislation. He also said, AADHAAR data is fully protected and any one who uses the data for any purpose other than for what it is meant for, will be punished.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi said that the Supreme Court’s judgment heralds a new era for individual rights, personal liberty and human dignity. Senior party leader P Chidambaram said the Aadhaar that UPA government conceived was perfectly compatible with the Right To Privacy.
Welcoming the Supreme Court’s verdict, CPI (M) said the party expresses hope that it will protect the misuse of private data in a world dominated by corporates. (AIR News)
