A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar, on Thursday ruled that right to privacy is “intrinsic to life and liberty” and is inherently protected under the various fundamental freedoms enshrined under Part III of the Indian Constitution. Read more.
Here are the updates:
3:10 pm: Congress president Sonia Gandhi says the SC verdict on right to privacy strikes at “unbridled encroachment and surveillance” by the State and its agencies on the life of the common man. She says Congress and opposition together spoke for right to privacy against “arrogant” attempts of BJP govt to curtail them.
2:50 pm: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict and said it was a major blow to “fascist forces” and a rejection of the BJP’s ideology of “suppression through surveillance”. The judgement was a “victory for every Indian”, Mr. Gandhi said on Twitter.
2.10 pm: Lauding the unanimous verdict of the nine-judge bench on right to privacy, notes senior advocate Soli Sorabjee said, “You cannot make a blanket and categorical statement that Aaadhaar will be banned or is unconstitutional. No fundamental right is absolute. It is always subject to reasonable restrictions.” Read more.
11:55 am: R. Chandrasekhar, a petitioner in the case, welcomes the verdict. As the world moves towards digitization, citizens must have rights against misuse of information, he says.
11.40 am: The ruling was to deal with batch of petitions challenging the govt. move to make Aadhaar mandatory for availing benefits of social welfare schemes, reports PTI.
10: 50 am: Supreme Court overrules its 1954 M.P. Sharma case and 1961 Kharak Singh case judgments that right to privacy is not protected under the Constitution.
10: 45 am: Supreme Court rules that right to privacy is intrinsic to life and liberty, thus coming under Article 21, and comes under the various fundamental freedoms in PART III of the Indian Constitution.
What is the lowdown on Right to Privacy?
10: 30 am: Here is a timeline of the roller-coaster ride the issue has had in the Supreme Court in the past years. Read more.
10: 25 am: Opinion|Is right to privacy a positive right?
"Some arguments advanced by those seeking the right to privacy, however, are troubling. It seems that for many, the right is basically against the state, and not so much the digital corporations."
10.20 am: The marathon Supreme Court hearings on the right to privacy saw debates and discussions on the "amorphous" right to privacy and whether it deserved the status of a fundamental right. The judges, lawyers and legal experts attempted to crystallise the right in a technological era where the citizens themselves voluntarily part with personal data