Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad On Court Verdict On Right To Privacy: Highlights

New Delhi: Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad maintained that the government has always acknowledged the need for privacy, stating that his party colleague and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told the Rajya Sabha that "Right to Privacy is a fundamental right". The minister's reaction came after the Supreme Court declared that privacy is a constitutional right. The verdict passed by the nine-member bench is seen as a major setback for the government, which had argued that the Constitution does not guarantee individual privacy as an inalienable fundamental right. "The right to privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 and as a part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution," the judges declared in the 547-page order.

Here are the highlights of Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad's briefing on the case: 

• The government welcomes privacy ruling passed by the Supreme Court
• SC has affirmed what government had said in Parliament while moving Aadhar Bill
• Arun Jaitley had told in Rajya Sabha that Aadhaar Act presupposes that Right to Privacy is a fundamental right
• Much before the creation of the nine-judge SC bench, Government had acknowledged that Right to Privacy is a fundamental right
• Right To Privacy a part of right to liberty, subject to reasonable restrictions
• What has been the record of the Congress in protecting individual liberties was seen during Emergency.
• Attorney General had said that like all other rights, Right to Privacy too not an absolute right
• Government has formed a high-powered committee for Data Protection, which the Supreme Court has noted
• Supreme Court clearly acknowledges need for a robust data regime to balance sensitive concerns bet'n individual interest and state interest
• Even a fundamental Right to Privacy has limitations, that need to be identified on case-to-case basis
• Essence of Supreme Court judgement is a wider affirmation of the observation made by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Rajya Sabha
• The Aadhaar Act puts in place a tough ecosystem for disclosure of individual data
• In the last 3 years, we have saved close to Rs 57,000 crore that earlier used to go to middlemen
• The poor are happy, they are feeling empowered
• The whole world appreciates the technological marvel that is Aadhaar
• Aadhaar system operates on the principle of Minimum Information, Maximum Use
• Aadhaar has shown its utility in a very short span of time; it is completely safe and secure
• Government stands committed to the principles enunciated by the Supreme Court today