Indian News Publishers Challenge Privacy Law in Supreme Court

The Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA), representing 21 major media groups including Network18 and NDTV, has filed a legal challenge in the Supreme Court of India against the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and its 2025 Rules. The publishers argue that the law fails to distinguish between commercial data processing and public-interest journalism, violating the constitutional right to information.

Central to the dispute are provisions that would require journalists to obtain consent from investigation subjects and allow individuals to demand the erasure of factual reports. The DNPA contends these requirements could alert targets of investigations, allowing them to destroy evidence, and would effectively create a regime of pre-censorship. Furthermore, the publishers warn that broad government powers to requisition information could expose confidential sources and discourage whistleblowers.

While the Government of India maintains the framework is necessary to safeguard individual privacy and previously offered verbal assurances that press freedom would be protected, the publishers are seeking statutory exemptions similar to those in the European Union, United Kingdom, and Singapore. The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, was scheduled to hear the petitions on October 27, but has now scheduled the case for next month. The disputed provisions are set to take effect in May 2027.