Indian Media Groups Challenge Data Protection Law in Supreme Court

A group of 21 Indian digital news publishers has filed a plea in the Supreme Court challenging provisions of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025. The publishers argue that without a specific exemption for journalistic activities, reporters could face obligations relating to notice, consent and erasure of personal data while carrying out routine reporting.

The Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) includes companies owned by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance group and Gautam Adani’s group, such as Network18 and NDTV. Other members include The Indian Express, Times Internet, The Hindu, India Today, Zee Media, ABP Pvt Ltd., Malayala Manorama, Mathrubhumi Amar Ujala and Eenadu Television Pvt. Ltd.

“Requiring a journalist to notify the subject of an investigation would allow that subject to destroy evidence, intimidate witnesses, or otherwise frustrate the story before publication.”

The publishers say requiring journalists to notify investigation subjects would allow those subjects to destroy evidence, intimidate witnesses or frustrate stories before publication. They also fear people could use consent withdrawal to burden or deter publishers, leading to unpublishing or heavy redaction of factual public-interest reports.

The plea warns that government powers to requisition information could apply to newsrooms and could let New Delhi identify journalists’ sources. Publishers say reporting on public officials, crime, business and governance could be restricted without a press exemption.

A Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and including Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana sought responses from the Central government and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The court declined to grant an interim stay on the law without hearing the government and issued notice on the stay application.

The matter is scheduled for next hearing on November 17. The government announced implementation of the privacy law last year to protect users’ digital personal data, raising compliance requirements for platforms such as Meta and Google.