SC declines govt offer to file report on data protection
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Monday declined the Centre’s offer to place on record the report of Justice BN Srikrishna committee on “data protection” for perusal of the five-judge Constitution bench, which had reserved the verdict on pleas challenging the validity of Aadhaar.
A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, on May 10, had reserved the verdict on the pleas challenging the constitutional validity of Aadhaar and its enabling 2016 law after a hearing that went on for 38 days.
Attorney general KK Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that the Srikrishna committee has submitted the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2018, and its report, and the Centre can submit it if the court wishes so.
“I do not think that it is required,” the CJI responded.
The bill and the report were submitted to the ministry of electronics and information technology. The committee has suggested measures to be taken when it comes to protecting personal information of citizens, the role and duties of data processors and the rights of individuals. BENGALURU: Just a year after an agitation for a Karnataka flag was launched, the Separate State Agitation Committee has said it will unveil a flag for the northern Karnataka region in Belagavi city on Tuesday, pressing its demand for the region’s 13 districts to be carved out into a new state.
Confirming this, Somashekhar Kotambari, president of the committee, told HT that he would do everything required to make the separate state a reality. “For decades we have faced the apathy of governments concerned only with the development of southern Karnataka and have ignored this region. To send out a message that this is a committed agitation, we will unveil a north Karnataka flag,” he said. The agitation comes in the wake of perceived injustice done to the northern districts in the state budget presented by CM HD Kumaraswamy on July 5. There was also the over representation of leaders from the southern districts in the state Cabinet of the Congress-janata Dal (Secular) coalition government.
Kotambari said the recent events were only the triggers and the movement dated back 40 years. While he claimed that the movement had the support of many seers in the region, Basava Jaya Mrutyunjaya Swamy of Kudala Sangama in Bagalkote district, who backed the movement demanding separate religion status for Lingayats, said: “We have advised them to not unfurl such a flag and stick to highlighting the injustice meted out to the region”. Others in the northern districts, too, are not supportive of the separate state demand, chief among them being Bheemappa Gadad, president of the North Karnataka Agitation Committee, who petitioned the state government last year asking for a flag for the state to help further in integration and forming a state identity.