The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that privacy could not be treated as a fundamental right as it has many facets, reported PTI. Attorney General KK Venugopal said there were measures restricting the sharing of Aadhaar related data.
Venugopal said there was no violation of privacy during the data collection process for passport applications and voter registration, ANI reported.
“There is no fundamental right to privacy and even if it is assumed as a fundamental right, it is multifaceted,” Attorney General KK Venugopal told the nine-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar. “Every facet can not be ipso facto [by that very fact or act] considered a fundamental right.”
On Wednesday, the Centre had told the Supreme Court that privacy is a fundamental right, but one that is not absolute.
Government interference is allowed in special cases if it is a wholly qualified right, however, there are no amendments made in absolute rights. “The right to privacy consists of various aspects and is a subspecies of the right to liberty, every aspect of it will not qualify as a fundamental right,” Attorney General KK Venugopal had said during the hearing.
The outcome of the hearing is likely to determine whether Aadhaar cards violate such a right. The bench hopes to determine whether citizens have the right to privacy under the Indian Constitution.
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