Hours after the seven judge bench of the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the right to privacy was a fundamental right, BJP chief Amit Shah declared that the judgement was in consonance with the NDA government’s “vision and action”, attacking instead the Congress party and its record on protecting privacy and fundamental rights.
The Right to Privacy case was being heard as a question that arose out of another case on the collection and protection and use of biometric data on Aadhaar, the government’s Unique Identity Authority. The court’s ruling therefore, was being seen as a setback to the government in its bid to expand the scope of Aadhaar as a mandatory requirement for a host of government services and actions as well as non-governmental ones. Mr Shah’s blog defended the government’s position vis-a-vis this verdict and says instead that it attacks the Congress party’s legacy on individual liberties.
“Those waxing eloquent today on privacy architecture are the ones who have ensured India does not have a robust privacy law for decades. Those commenting on Aadhaar are the same people who did not provide it a legal backing for years,” Mr. Shah said, referring to the Congress. He also said the judgement refers to “data mining with the object of ensuring that resources are properly deployed.”