{"id":22454,"date":"2026-04-21T05:45:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T05:45:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/?p=22454"},"modified":"2026-04-21T05:49:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T05:49:20","slug":"right-to-privacy-in-india-article-21-and-puttaswamy-judgment-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/right-to-privacy-in-india-article-21-and-puttaswamy-judgment-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Right to Privacy in India: Article 21 And Puttaswamy Judgment Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"introduction\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Introduction\"><\/span>Introduction<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The right to privacy is a fundamental human right that has evolved over the years to encompass various aspects of an individual\u2019s personal life. In India, the right to privacy has been recognised as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the protection of life and personal liberty.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0c0c0c;color:#0c0c0c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0c0c0c;color:#0c0c0c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/right-to-privacy-in-india-article-21-and-puttaswamy-judgment-explained\/#Introduction\" >Introduction<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/right-to-privacy-in-india-article-21-and-puttaswamy-judgment-explained\/#Legal_Background\" >Legal Background<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/right-to-privacy-in-india-article-21-and-puttaswamy-judgment-explained\/#Key_Judicial_Developments\" >Key Judicial Developments<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/right-to-privacy-in-india-article-21-and-puttaswamy-judgment-explained\/#Privacy_Case\" >Privacy Case<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/right-to-privacy-in-india-article-21-and-puttaswamy-judgment-explained\/#Threefold_Requirement_Test\" >Threefold Requirement Test<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/right-to-privacy-in-india-article-21-and-puttaswamy-judgment-explained\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>In his essay, an attempt has been made to analyse the legal developments on the issue of the right to privacy with special reference to the landmark decision of the Supreme Court in Justice K. S. Puttaswamy (Retd) v. Union of India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"legal-background\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Legal_Background\"><\/span>Legal Background<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1954, the Supreme Court in M.P. Sharma v. Satish Chandra held that the constitution makers have not recognised a right to privacy as a fundamental right. It was observed that \u201cthere is no justification to import into a totally different fundamental right something which is not explicitly provided&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Similarly, in Kharak Singh v. State of Uttar Pradesh, the Court held that the right to privacy is not a guaranteed right under the Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, subsequent decisions did not consider themselves bound by the ratio of M.P. Sharma and Kharak Singh. Over time, the Court began to acknowledge privacy as an intrinsic part of personal liberty under Article 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Later, in Govind v. State of Madhya Pradesh, the Court accepted the right to privacy as a fundamental right, although subject to reasonable restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"key-judicial-developments\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_Judicial_Developments\"><\/span>Key Judicial Developments<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><th>Case<\/th><th>Year<\/th><th>Key Holding<\/th><\/tr><tr><td>M.P. Sharma v. Satish Chandra<\/td><td>1954<\/td><td>No explicit fundamental right to privacy is recognised.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Kharak Singh v. State of Uttar Pradesh<\/td><td>1962<\/td><td>Privacy is not guaranteed under the Constitution.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Govind v. State of Madhya Pradesh<\/td><td>1975<\/td><td>Privacy is accepted as a fundamental right subject to restrictions.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"privacy-case\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Privacy_Case\"><\/span>Privacy Case<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In Justice K. S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) v. Union of India, the Supreme Court held that the right to privacy is a fundamental right protected under the Constitution. It ruled that privacy is intrinsic to life and personal liberty under Article 21 and forms an integral part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"threefold-test\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Threefold_Requirement_Test\"><\/span>Threefold Requirement Test<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Court also laid down that any invasion of privacy must satisfy the following threefold requirement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Legality<\/strong> \u2013 The existence of laws.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Legitimate Aim<\/strong> \u2013 The action must pursue a legitimate state objective.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Proportionality<\/strong> \u2013 There must be a rational nexus between the objects and the means adopted to achieve them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Further, the Court emphasised that any state action must not be arbitrary and must fall within the zone of reasonableness under Article 14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"conclusion\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Proportionality is an essential facet of the guarantee against arbitrary state action because it ensures that the nature and quality of the encroachment on the right is not disproportionate to the purpose of the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The right to privacy has grown greatly under the Constitution over the years, notably through judicial rulings. It is now widely accepted that the right to privacy is a fundamental right under Article 21, which includes many aspects of personal liberty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In an era of fast technological innovation, privacy protection is critical to preserving individual liberty and dignity. It is essential to defend and respect this fundamental right when developing and executing data protection and surveillance rules in order to strike a balance between individual rights and governmental interests.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction The right to privacy is a fundamental human right that has evolved over the years to encompass various aspects of an individual\u2019s personal life. In India, the right to privacy has been recognised as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the protection of life and personal liberty. In his<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1400,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"two_page_speed":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[775],"class_list":{"0":"post-22454","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-constitutional-law","7":"tag-constitutional-law"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1400"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22454"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22496,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22454\/revisions\/22496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}