Justice K.S.Puttaswamy(Retd) vs Union Of India on 26 September, 2018
lives which becomes impossible, if important decisions are made in secret without our awareness or
participation. [ Daniel Solove, 10 Reasons Why Privacy Matters published on 20-1-2014
<https://www.teachprivacy.com/10-reasonsprivacy-matters/>.]
xx
xx
xx
625. Every individual should have a right to be able to exercise control over his/her own life and
image as portrayed to the world and to control commercial use of his/her identity. This also means
that an individual may be permitted to prevent others from using his image, name and other aspects
of his/her personal life and identity for commercial purposes without his/her consent. [ The Second
Circuit's decision in Haelan Laboratories Inc. v. Topps Chewing Gum Inc., 202 F 2d 866 (2d Cir
1953) penned by Jerome Frank, J. defined the right to publicity as the right to grant the exclusive
privilege of publishing his picture.] xx xx xx
646. If the individual permits someone to enter the house it does not mean that others can enter the
house. The only check and balance is that it should not harm the other individual or affect his or her
rights. This applies both to the physical form and to technology. In an era where there are wide,
varied, social and cultural norms and more so in a country like ours which prides itself on its
diversity, privacy is one of the most important rights to be protected both against State and
non-State actors and be recognised as a fundamental right. How it thereafter works out in its interplay with other fundamental rights and when such restrictions would become necessary would
depend on the factual matrix of each case. That it may give rise to more litigation can hardly be the
reason not to recognise this important, natural, primordial right as a fundamental right.
(ii) The sanctity of privacy lies in its functional relationship with dignity: Privacy ensures that a
human being can lead a life of dignity by securing the inner recesses of the human personality from
unwanted intrusions. While the legitimate expectation of privacy may vary from intimate zone to the
private zone and from the private to the public arena, it is important to underscore that privacy is
not lost or surrendered merely because the individual is in a public place. Further, privacy is a
postulate of dignity itself. Also, privacy concerns arise when the State seeks to intrude into the body
and the mind of the citizen. This aspect is discussed in the following manner:
Dr. D.Y. Chandrachud, J. :
127. The submission that recognising the right to privacy is an exercise which would
require a constitutional amendment and cannot be a matter of judicial interpretation
is not an acceptable doctrinal position. The argument assumes that the right to
privacy is independent of the liberties guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution.
There lies the error. The right to privacy is an element of human dignity. The sanctity of privacy lies
in its functional relationship with dignity. Privacy ensures that a human being can lead a life of
dignity by securing the inner recesses of the human personality from unwanted intrusion. Privacy
Indian Kanoon - http://indiankanoon.org/doc/127517806/
65
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents