Data leak row: Ashwani meets PM

Amidst a raging political battle between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party over allegations of data leaks and unauthorised use of data, former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday to press for a standalone law on protection of privacy.

‘Non-negotiable right’

As the Minister of State for Planning in 2011, Mr. Kumar had commissioned an expert group headed by former Delhi High Court Chief Justice A.P. Shah to look into the issue of protecting privacy in the face of emerging technologies.

“The issue of privacy of individuals is a non-negotiable constitutional and humanitarian fundamental right. The right to privacy is an integral component of the right to dignity, which stands at the pinnacle of the hierarchy of human rights,” said Mr. Kumar.

“The Prime Minister assured me of his personal and positive attention to the need for enacting purposive legislations to protect the individual’s right to dignity, privacy and reputation,” he added.

Mr. Kumar, in his 25-minute-long meeting with the Prime Minister, also raised the issue of bringing an anti-custodial torture legislation.