New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Central Government following a petition alleging a major breach of medical and personal data belonging to nearly 1.5 lakh Indian citizens. A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant asked the Centre to respond to the plea filed by Vitraya Technologies Private Limited, which seeks a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the alleged data theft. Senior counsel K Parameshwar, representing the petitioner, argued before the court that the breach spans six states and poses a severe threat to citizens’ fundamental right to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution.
In other key legal developments, the Supreme Court refused to suspend the life sentence awarded to Narayan Sai, son of self-styled godman Asaram, in connection with a 2013 rape case. A Bench led by Justice M.M. Sundresh directed the Gujarat High Court to decide his pending appeal against the conviction within three months. Meanwhile, the apex court declined to entertain Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra’s plea challenging a Calcutta High Court directive that requires her to appear in person before the police on August 15 in a hate speech case.
Additionally, the top court refrained from interfering with a Chhattisgarh High Court decision regarding an election petition filed against former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel concerning his 2023 assembly election victory from Patan, allowing him to present his defense before the high court’s election tribunal. The court also turned down a Public Interest Litigation seeking mandatory biometric attendance systems in schools across the country to curb fake educational institutions, advising the petitioner to approach the respective state high courts instead. Separately, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Chief Mohan Bhagwat advocated for digital self-discipline over outright bans on social media platforms.
