Delhi HC notice to Centre on plea challenging Digital Data Protection Act provisions

The Delhi high court on Wednesday issued notice to the Centre, seeking its response on a petition challenging several provisions of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (Act) and its Rules, including those concerning the constitution of the Data Protection Board and a clause empowering the Centre to exempt its own agencies from privacy safeguards, asserting that they establish an adjudicatory framework dependent on the executive.

A bench of chief justice DK Upadhyaya and justice Tejas Karia sought the Centre’s response on a petition filed by a man named Dr Chandresh Jain, challenging sections 17 to 21, 23, 29, 33, 34, 36, 37 and 44 of the Act, along with the rules.