National Virtual Conference on Policies, Rights and Reforms "Information, Privacy & Official Secrets"

In India, the “Right to Information” and “Right to Privacy” are crucial tools in the hands of the citizens for holding the government accountable and transparent. While RTI is derived from the fundamental Right to Freedom of speech and Expression guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution of India, the Right to Privacy is recognized as a basic human right under Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Act, 1948. Drawing a consonance between the two, the Indian government while providing information under the RTI Act ensures that an individual’s liberty or dignity remains protected. Parallelly, the delivery of economic benefits and services such as Aadhar, Digilocker etc by the government to the citizens in the current digital environment is governed under the frameworks of various Acts and provisions therein ensuring protection of the right to privacy of individuals.

Over the years, aforesaid laws have been known as two sides of the same coin and evidently have been under rift. With evolving business dynamics and new age laws for governing the protection of individual’s information, privacy and sensitive and personal data, it is necessary to draw a lucid understanding of the concepts of RTI and Privacy Law and their expected impact on each other under several subject matters with special emphasis on the protection and exemptions provided under the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

Referring to the judicial trend, policy and legislative developments, socio-legal progress including the high prioritization of “transparency in governance” of the country, one of the critical view that has come to light is that the Right to Privacy will have supremacy over Right to Information in case of conflict. This highly scores the need of comprehensive crucial revisits, dialogues and interventions in the respective institutions by experts and stakeholders including government, activists etc.

In the above context, the Department of Corporate Legal and Regulatory Affairs, ASSOCHAM is organizing National Virtual Conference: Policies, Rights and Reforms “Information, Privacy & Official Secrets - Provisions, Proceedings, Penalties and Appeals” on Thursday, 27th April 2023, 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM.