NEW DELHI, Jul 19:

The Supreme Court today said that right to privacy cannot be an absolute right and the State may have some power to put reasonable restriction. 

The nine-judge Constitution bench said this while examining the issue whether right to privacy can be declared as a fundamental right under the Constitution.

The bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar, also asked the Centre and others to assist it about the contours and ambit of test on which the width and scope of right to privacy would be tested and also of its infringement, if any, by the State.

During the day-long hearing, the bench said, Right to privacy is an amorphous right and not absolute. It is only a small sub-sect of liberty.
The court referred to issue of data protection and said that its ambit was "much wider" than right to privacy and "cataloguing the contents of privacy" has the danger of limiting the right itself.

The bench said we live in an age of big data and the state is entitled to regulate the data whether it is for the purpose of regulating crime, taxation or other activities. The court said that Right to privacy cannot be so absolute that it prevents the State from legislating or regulating it.

The argument will continue tomorrow and attorney general is likely to put the government's view across

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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