Right to privacy

In the news

• Supreme Court issues notice on news publishers' challenge to the data protection law 28 October 2026 · Indian Express

  Must a reporter seek consent before naming the subject of an investigation? Publishers say the DPDP Act demands it.

• Transport Ministry seeks CERT-In audit of VAHAN, SARATHI portals after data sale reports 25 October 2026 · The Hindu

  Your name, address and phone number for ₹5 or less: how did India's vehicle database leak into apps?

• Madras HC: private institutions and employers in Tamil Nadu cannot compel caste disclosure 11 October 2026 · The Hindu

  If the State needs caste data for reservation, why should a private employer's form demand it?

Key facts

• On 27 October 2026 the Supreme Court issued notice on the Digital News Publishers Association's challenge to the DPDP Act, 2023 and DPDP Rules, 2025, returnable on 17 November. (28 October 2026)
• The core grievance is the absence of a journalistic exemption; Section 17(2) exempts research, archiving and statistical processing but not journalism. (28 October 2026)
• MoRTH asked CERT-In for a forensic audit of the VAHAN, SARATHI, e-Challan and PUCC portals after reports of vehicle-owner data being sold online. (25 October 2026)
• An NIC RTI reply showed 25,314 credentials issued to private entities and about 1.708 crore queries from January 2024 to September 2026. (25 October 2026)
• The Madras High Court (Justices C.V. Karthikeyan and R. Sakthivel) held that private educational institutions and private employers in Tamil Nadu cannot mandatorily collect caste details. (11 October 2026)
• G.O.Ms.No.205 of 31 July 2000 lets parents in Tamil Nadu write "No Caste" or "No Religion", or leave the columns blank, in school records. (11 October 2026)

Previous-year questions

1. 2024 · GS3 · 10 marks Describe the context and salient features of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
2. 2023 · GS1 · 15 marks Why is caste identity in India both fluid and static?
3. 2022 · GS3 · 15 marks What are the different elements of cyber security? Keeping in view the challenges in cyber security, examine the extent to which India has successfully developed a comprehensive National Cyber Security Strategy.
4. 2018 · GS4 · 10 marks The Right to Information Act is not all about citizens' empowerment alone, it essentially redefines the concept of accountability. Discuss.
5. 2018 · GS1 · 10 marks "Caste system is assuming new identities and associational forms. Hence, caste system cannot be eradicated in India." Comment.
6. 2017 · GS2 · 15 marks Examine the scope of Fundamental Rights in the light of the latest judgement of the Supreme Court on Right to Privacy.
7. 2024 · Prelims Under which of the following Articles of the Constitution of India, has the Supreme Court of India placed the Right to Privacy? (a) Article 15 (b) Article 16 (c) Article 19 (d) Article 21