Yes, you got that right. In an ongoing trial in the Supreme Court, the centre’s representative Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the bench that the right to privacy was not a fundamental right given by the Constitution.

For this he cited a 1950 judgment by the Supreme Court. The argument was put forth during a hearing about the constitutional validity of the Aadhar Scheme, which was based on the argument that it violated the civil right of privacy.

He said that there is no question of violating a right which does not exist.

This development points towards some very crucial questions. Just how far is the state allowed to go under the pretext of national interest? Is it correct to step over the privacy of citizens by using national interest as an excuse?

A clear message

The right to privacy of an individual is a basic human right, as privacy is something directly linked to personal dignity. The government should understand that in a democracy, the nation and the state are by the people and not the other way round. The rights and freedom of the people are above everything and everyone, and it is high time the government realised this as the very basis of a democracy.

The role of the government

The government is meant to serve people and safeguard their interests, not rule over them as per its own whims and fancies. How can the government deny information entitled to a citizen under the Right To Information citing “national interest” as a cause, but at the same time attack the citizen’s right to privacy?

Most importantly in today’s time almost all Indians are connected to each other through the internet or other modes of communication. In such a situation, the very people meant for our security, eavesdropping on our phone calls and reading our private messages, is the last thing we want.