Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

RIGHT TO PRIVACY IN THE DIGITAL ERA: CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTION UNDER ARTICLE 21 AND DATA PROTECTION LAWS IN INDIA

Hiba Hashim, Deeksha S, Geetapriya K, G. N. Kavana, Prof. Dhanush .

Abstract


The rapid growth of digital technologies has fundamentally changed how personal data is collected, processed, and stored, turning individual privacy into a pressing constitutional concern. The recognition of the right to privacy as a fundamental right in Justice K. S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) v. Union of India (2017) marked a watershed moment in Indian constitutional jurisprudence. This paper traces the evolution of that right, with particular attention to the Puttaswamy judgment and the subsequent enactment of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act). It examines the privacy challenges posed by emerging technologies and assesses how effectively India's current legal framework responds to them. The paper concludes that while India has made meaningful constitutional and legislative progress, significant reform is still required to secure robust privacy protection in the digital era.


Full Text:

PDF

References


Cases

• Justice K. S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) v. Union of India, (2017) 10 SCC 1 (India).

• M. P. Sharma v. Satish Chandra, AIR 1954 SC 300 (India).

• Kharak Singh v. State of Uttar Pradesh, AIR 1963 SC 1295 (India).

Statutes

• Constitution of India, 1950, art. 21.

• Information Technology Act, 2000 (India).

• Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (India).

Journal Articles and Reports

• Bhandari, V., & Lahiri, K. (2020). The surveillance state, privacy, and criminal investigation in India: Possible futures in a post-Puttaswamy world. University of Oxford Human Rights Hub Journal, 3(2), 15–46.

• Bhandari, V., & Sane, R. (2018). Protecting citizens from the state post-Puttaswamy: Analysing the privacy implications of the Justice Srikrishna Committee Report and the Data Protection Bill, 2018. Socio-Legal Review, 14(2).

• Chadha, A. (2021). Digital data protection & the right to privacy. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3899815

• Greenleaf, G. (2017). ‘Constitution bench’ to decide India’s data privacy future. Privacy Laws & Business International Report, 148, 28–31.

• Jain, A., & Anand, A. (2025). Tracing the constitutional journey of data privacy in India: From Puttaswamy to the Draft DPDP Rules, 2025. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://ssrn.com/abstract=5283949

• JURIST. (2023, August). India’s Data Protection Act is more about the processing of personal data than it is about privacy. JURIST Commentary. https://www.jurist.org/commentary/2023/08/indias-data-protection-act-is-more-about-the-processing-of-personal-data-than-it-is-about-privacy/

• Kakkar, J., Kaur, N., Aravindakshan, S., Mohan, S., Agarwal, S., Movva, S., Devadasan, V., & Bhandari, V. (2023). The surveillance law landscape in India and the impact of Puttaswamy. Centre for Communication Governance, National Law University Delhi. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4624419

• Singh, P., & Simon, S. T. (2025, June 8). High hopes, higher hurdles: Analysis of the DPDP Act and its Draft Rules (Part I). NLS Forum, Indian Journal of Law and Technology, National Law School of India University. https://forum.nls.ac.in/ijlt-blog-post/high-hopes-higher-hurdles-analysis-of-the-dpdp-act-and-its-draft-rules-part-i/

• Storyboard18. (2026, March 17). Supreme Court seeks Centre reply on DPDP Act plea over privacy concerns. Storyboard18. https://www.storyboard18.com/amp/brand-makers/supreme-court-seeks-centre-reply-on-dpdp-act-plea-over-privacy-concerns-92433.htm

International Regulation

• Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (General Data Protection Regulation).


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.