The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on February 16 a petition which accuses India’s new digital personal data protection law of weaponising the right to privacy to disarm the citizens’ right to seek information from the state under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. It said the provision has turned the fundamental right to privacy on its head. The right, meant to protect ordinary citizens against state incursion, has been extended to protect the state and public functionaries from RTI disclosures. The decision whether or not to reveal ‘personal information’ was taken by a Public Information Officer or the First Appellate Authority under the RTI Act after thoroughly weighing privacy and transparency concerns. It violates Article 14 (right to equal treatment) by equating the privacy of public functionaries to that of ordinary citizens.

Source: The Hindu February 14, 2026 18:19 UTC