Publishers’ group goes to Supreme Court on privacy law, hearing likely Tuesday

A coalition of 21 major Indian news publishers has filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court, challenging a new privacy law that they argue would hinder investigative journalism and expose journalist sources. India's Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) contends that the law, which will come into effect in May 2027, infringes upon press freedom and is akin to pre-censorship.

While the government had assured publishers in a meeting that the law would protect press freedom, DNPA maintains that there is no written exemption for journalists, as is present in the EU, Singapore, and the UK. The lawsuit, reportedly the most high-profile challenge to India's privacy law, alleges that the provisions could force journalists to obtain prior consent from individuals they want to investigate and force publishers to erase stories.

DNPA members include major media conglomerates like Mukesh Ambani's Network18, Gautam Adani's NDTV, and others such as The Indian Express and Times Internet. The law's requirement of consent, according to the DNPA, would allow the subject of an investigation to destroy evidence and intimidate witnesses, as individuals can withdraw consent at any time and demand the deletion of their data without any public-interest safeguard.

Moreover, the federal authority created under the law has the power to impose fines for non-compliance and block access to information in the general public's interest, which DNPA asserts would curtail press freedom.