In February 2026, the Supreme Court of India began adjudicating massive constitutional challenges against the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act of 2023. Petitions led by independent media groups argue that Section 44(3) of the Act amends the Right to Information Act to provide a blanket exemption for all personal information.

The Bharat Media Association stands with the petitioners. We emphasize that completely shielding public officials’ personal data under the guise of privacy will destroy investigative journalism and make it legally impossible to expose corruption and state-level scams.