Supreme Court Upholds Madras High Court Order on DMK Membership Drive

speedy Summary

• Teh Supreme Court declined to interfere with an interim order issued by the Madras High Court that restrains the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu from sending OTP verification messages during their ongoing Oraniyil Tamil Nadu membership drive.
• The apex court dismissed DMK’s plea, stating, “The court has to protect the citizens.” It advised the party to return to the High court for further deliberation.
• The Madras High Court had previously imposed this restriction citing concerns over privacy and data protection under Article 21 of the Constitution during door-to-door membership campaigns.
• The High Court observed that personal information, including mobile phone numbers, was being collected without clear accountability or transparency regarding how such data would be safeguarded.

Indian Opinion Analysis
This case underscores growing judicial scrutiny on issues surrounding privacy and data protection in India’s digital age. With article 21 of the Constitution guaranteeing a fundamental right to life and personal liberty-including protection of individual privacy-courts are increasingly framed as key guardians against potential misuse of citizen data by political entities or institutions. While membership drives are standard practice for political outreach, collecting personal information without clarity on safeguards risks violating trust and legal protections afforded under privacy laws. For India, this highlights an urgent need for obvious mechanisms governing sensitive information collection alongside stronger regulatory frameworks grounded in accountability. Political parties must lead by exmaple within these parameters during public engagement efforts.

Read more at: https://www.thehindu.com/theme/images/th-online/1x1_spacer.png