Government snoops over common man's right to privacy
The foremost topic that was deliberated a lot on while the country stood on the threshold of welcoming Aadhar, was about the issues surrounding privacy of individuals. Many experts had expressed their apprehensions about how Aadhar may highly comprise an individual's right to privacy. There were allegations that government was introducing Aadhaar to invade or take control of people's private details and their lives. Now it is out in the open as to how information can be leaked through Aadhaar.
Till now the government would face arguments on the basis that Aadhar was fool proof as far as data is concerned. Now they have gone a step further. The government has now indirectly declared that people's personal information is the right to the government. Hence the government has issued a directive that any information stored on any computer shall be accessed by the government even without the permission of the owner of this information. Legal experts and cyber security professionals have been expressing great concerns about a directive such as this one. This directive empowers intelligence departments, narcotics control units, executive directorate, excise intelligence department, central investigation agency, national intelligence agency, cabinet committee, Jammu and Kashmir, north eastern states, secret code intelligence department in Assam, and Delhi police to monitor, and extract information from any computer whether personal or private. The right to privacy is under threat now. This will enable the government to misuse its powers now. And this will complicate people's lives even further. Defending the decision of the government, union minister Jaitley said this provision exists within the framework of IT act framed by the UPA government, and that the government wasn't misusing its powers in any manner. This way he is trying to absolve his government of any chances of having to shoulder the blame. If UPA government had done everything right, what was the need for the people to choose new government? If UPA had indeed made a mistake Modi government should not use it as defence but try to fix that error through the power and responsibility they have.
Even experts agree that IT Act does have a provision to empower the said agencies with snooping rights for the sake of national security. An act to monitor PCs was introduced in 2008 by the UPA government. Now by implementing it, the NDA government is trying to make this act effective and thus give it the sanctity that's required. Though this provision existed, no one had issued a special order to use it or empowered agencies to use the provisions. Though the IT act was amended in 2008 from the time it was framed in 2000, the rules to use this provision was publicised in 2009.
In a ruling in 2017, the Supreme Court upheld the right to privacy. Hence this directive by the government clashes directly with the Supreme Court's emphasis on privacy pertaining to constitutional rights. Starting from the CBI, the government is interfering with every investigating agency and its works. Instead of working for the welfare of the nation, allegations are aplenty that the agencies are serving the ruling dispensation.
Elements of Sangh Parivar have made a foray into these investigation agencies. Armed with information from private computers, the government and non governmental agencies too can use them against people and exploit them. Those in power may use them to silence their detractors. If the government can peep into your private space, that marks the end of constitution. This directive is an example of how the government is able to use the existing framework to push people around into delicate situations. This needs to be fought against, legally both inside and outside the courts. Or else everyone would lose their right to privacy and kneel before the higher powers. All those voices that could question the government would be silenced with this.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Wayanad LS bypoll: Priyanka crosses lead achieved by Rahul in 2024 Lok Sabha polls
Wayanad (Kerala) (PTI): Top Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was on Saturday comfortably cruising towards her maiden electoral win from Wayanad in Kerala, as she surpassed the lead achieved by her brother Rahul Gandhi in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls earlier this year with party leaders and ally IUML predicting a big win for her amid the counting trends.
The Congress-led UDF's candidate from this hill constituency, Priyanka, extended her lead by over 3.8 lakh votes after five hours of counting of the ballots in the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll, according to the Election Commission.
Reacting to the lead achieved by Priyanka, Congress' ally Indian Union Muslim League and Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said she would get more votes than her brother Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha polls in April this year and will win by a record margin.
"An amazing first trend on counting day is the massive early lead for our leader @priyankagandhi ji in Wayanad, Kerala, by-election. People of Wayanad are surely going to record in victory margins today and Priyanka ji will make Parliamentary debut with a grand win," Reddy said in a post on 'X'.
IUML supremo Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said that going by the trends, Priyanka will get more votes than what Rahul got and the majority she achieves would also be higher than that of her brother.
A similar view was expressed by IUML's national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty.
On the other hand, BJP leader Anil K Antony, earlier in the day, had claimed that though Priyanka has achieved a good lead, her victory margin would be less than what Rahul got in the 2024 and 2019 LS polls in the hill constituency.
According to the latest EC figures, Priyanka had a lead of 3,82,975 with 5,78,526 votes. LDF's Sathyan Mokeri was behind her with 1,95,551 votes and NDA's Navya Haridas was in the third spot with 1,04,947 votes.
Rahul had got 6,47,445 votes and won by a margin of 3,64,422 votes against his nearest rival, CPI's Annie Raja, in the LS polls this year. In 2019, he had got 7,06,367 votes and had won by a margin of 4,31,770 votes.
After winning from Rae Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh as well, in this year's polls, Rahul vacated the Wayanad seat, and the party nominated his sister Priyanka, paving the way for her electoral debut.
The bypoll turnout in Wayanad, which has over 14 lakh registered voters, was around 65 per cent, a decline from the close to 74 per cent in the LS polls held in April this year and much lower than the over 80 per cent turnout in the hill constituency in the 2019 general elections.
The counting of votes commenced at 8 am with postal ballots being taken up first.
The strong rooms, where the EVMs were kept, were opened more than an hour before counting began.
The bypoll for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat was held on November 13.
Of the 16 candidates who contested, the main contenders are Priyanka, ruling CPI(M)-led LDF's Sathyan Mokeri, a political veteran, and BJP-headed NDA's Navya Haridas.
