CJI Surya Kant assured hearing on Data Protection Act, said – Data is today’s new currency.

New Delhi, March 12. The Supreme Court on Thursday assured to hear soon the various petitions challenging the Data Protection Act 2025. During the hearing, Chief Justice (CJI) Surya Kant termed this issue as very important and said that data security has become a global topic today and serious concerns are being raised about it all over the world.

The issue of data security is not just a matter of India but a global concern.

Commenting, CJI Surya Kant said that at present, data is fast taking the form of a new currency. He said that the issue of data security is not limited to India only but it is a global concern. He also said that a lot of the country’s data is going abroad and this aspect also needs to be seriously considered.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for the petitioners, referred to the petition before the court challenging the new data protection law, saying that the Act does not provide a clear definition of ‘private and personal data’. He argued that earlier under the Information Technology Act, 2000, if a person’s data privacy was violated, he had the right to demand compensation, but this provision has been changed in the new law.

Indira Jaising said that under the new law, compensation will be given to the state or the Data Protection Board instead of going directly to the victim. He also said that there is no clear provision for any kind of judicial (tribunal) monitoring on this board, which raises questions about accountability.

On this, Chief Justice Justice Surya Kant said that whatever tribunal or board there is a provision for monitoring, it should be a quasi-judicial body and will be subject to judicial review. During the hearing, Indira Jaising also said that it is necessary to consider many important aspects in this matter. These include issues like immunity given to the government, the government’s possible access to any data (which leads to the possibility of surveillance), the impact on the right to information due to not being given immunity to journalists, and the sovereignty of data.

He told the court that it should also be seen whether the country’s data is going abroad and how it is being kept safe. Apart from this, judicial consideration is also necessary on issues like the role of the Data Protection Board and the system of compensation in case of violation of data privacy. Considering the seriousness of the matter, the Supreme Court said that this is an important constitutional and technical issue, which will be heard on priority basis.