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privacy of an individual. The relevant paras of the judgment
are as under:
“XXXXX
R. Essential nature of privacy
297. What, then, does privacy postulate? Privacy
postulates the reservation of a private space for the
individual, described as the right to be let alone. The
concept is founded on the autonomy of the individual.
The ability of an individual to make choices lies at the
core of the human personality. The notion of privacy
enables the individual to assert and control the
human element which is inseparable from the
personality of the individual. The inviolable nature of
the human personality is manifested in the ability to
make decisions on matters intimate to human life.
The autonomy of the individual is associated over
matters which can be kept private. These are concerns
over which there is a legitimate expectation of privacy.
The body and the mind are inseparable elements of
the human personality. The integrity of the body and
the sanctity of the mind can exist on the foundation
that each individual possesses an inalienable ability
and right to preserve a private space in which the
human personality can develop. Without the ability to
make choices, the inviolability of the personality
would be in doubt. Recognizing a zone of privacy is
but an acknowledgment that each individual must be
entitled to chart and pursue the course of
development of personality. Hence privacy is a
postulate of human dignity itself. Thoughts and
behavioural patterns which are intimate to an
individual are entitled to a zone of privacy where one
is free of social expectations. In that zone of privacy,
an individual is not judged by others. Privacy enables
each individual to take crucial decisions which find
expression in the human personality. It enables
individuals to preserve their beliefs, thoughts,
expressions, ideas, ideologies, preferences and choices