Right to privacy is 'subject to reasonable restrictions', says Prasad after SC verdict

The government on Thursday hailed the Supreme Court verdict that declared the right to privacy a fundamental right under the Constitution.

Pic: @BJP4India

New Delhi: The government on Thursday hailed the Supreme Court verdict that declared the right to privacy is a fundamental right under the Constitution. 

Addressing a press conference in the national capital today, Law and Justice, Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "The government was of the view that the Right to Privacy should be a fundamental right and we welcome the Supreme Court verdict."

"Before the Supreme Court formed its nine-judge bench on privacy, Arun Jaitley had said that there is right to privacy with reasonable restrictions," he said.

"The government has formed a high-powered committee for data protection, which the Supreme Court has noted. The Supreme Court clearly acknowledged the need for a robust data regime to balance sensitive concerns between individual interest and the state interest," he said.

"On behalf of the Government of India, Attorney General also argued that right to privacy is a part of fundamental rights with reasonable restrictions," the minister said during the conference.

Training his guns on the Congress for bringing in Aadhar without any debate on the matter, Prasad said, "The idea of Aadhaar card was brought by the UPA government without any debate. That is how they worked."

"Aadhaar during UPA regime had no protection of the law. We made Aadhaar law and provided a legal framework for protecting its data," he added.

"Since morning Congress is targeting us and Left has also joined them.What is the Congress' record of protecting individual liberty?" Prasad said while launching a further attack on the previous government. 

"In the last 3 years, we have saved close to 57,000 crore rupees that earlier used to go to middlemen," he added.

Defending the Aadhaar scheme, Prasad said the government has formed a high-powered committee for data protection, which the Supreme Court has noted.

Earlier today, in a landmark verdict, a nine-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar held that the right to privacy is a fundamental right and is an integral part of the right to life and liberty.

The bench was looking into a batch of petitions challenging the Centre's move to make Aadhaar mandatory for availing benefits of various social welfare schemes.