A view of the Supreme Court of India.
| Photo Credit: DEEPIKA RAJESH INTERN
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to intervene against an interim order of the Madras High Court restraining the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu from sending OTP verification messages to mobile phone users during its ongoing Oraniyil Tamil Nadu membership drive.
“The court has to protect the citizens. Go back to the High Court. We are not inclined to interfere in the matter. Dismissed,” a Bench, headed by Justice P.S. Narasimha, said. The apex court did not budge even as senior advocate P. Wilson, appearing for the DMK, submitted that the party was not collecting Aadhaar details.
On July 21, a Division Bench of Justices S.M. Subramaniam and A.D. Maria Clete of the Madras High Court had issued an interim injunction to the limited extent (of OTP messages) till the issue of right to privacy and data protection were examined in detail. The High Court reasoned that the fundamental rights of the people were at stake.
The High Court said that during the door-to-door membership drive, personal information, including mobile phone numbers, were obtained and OTP verification messages were sent to these. “Data protection of the individuals is an essential element of Article 21 of the Constitution. In the absence of accountability and transparency in the data collected from individuals across the State, it is an issue which needs elaborate analysis,” the Bench had observed.
Published – August 05, 2025 12:30 am IST
