NEWSROOMS will shut down if journalists are made to seek permission before publishing information under the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act and the DPDP Rules, the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) told the Supreme Court on Tuesday. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana took note of the submissions and the petition of the DNPA comprising 21 digital news publishers, including companies owned by both the Ambani group and the Adani group, and issued notices to the Union Ministries of Law and Justice, and Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

 

The matter has been listed for further hearing on November 17 along with pending ones. At the outset, senior advocate Madhavi Divan, appearing for DNPA, also urged the bench to consider the stay application, saying that the absence of an exemption for journalistic activities could fundamentally change how news is gathered and reported. “This is perhaps the first comprehensive petition by what we call legacy media. There has been some debate over citizen journalists. We are the traditional, conventional legacy media,” she said. The senior lawyer said that requiring journalists to seek permission from individuals before publishing information about them could undermine the functioning of newsrooms.