Must Read News Articles – August 25

Archives

GS-1

GS-2

Government policies

Privacy is a fundamental right, declares SC: (The Hindu)

In a unanimous verdict, a nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday declared that privacy is intrinsic to life and liberty and an inherent part of the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution.

How the numbers compute: (The Hindu, Editorial)

Making sense of the Supreme Court’s split verdict on triple talaq.

Beyond the ruling: In verdict, freedom’s 7 takeaways: (Indian Express, Explained)

Rarely has so momentous a judgment been delivered so emphatically. Court has indicated that contours of privacy defined by it aren’t limitations to the right, but foundations over which it will develop over time.

Indian Constitution

Citizen vs State: (The Hindu, Editorial)

In a rare unanimous verdict pronounced by nine judges, the Supreme Court has ruled that privacy is a fundamental right that requires constitutional protection.

The argument against it must be premised on the idea of the right to equality before the law, not just privacy.

Over 40 years after the Supreme Court’s darkest hour when it said citizens had no right to life and liberty during the Emergency period, a nine-judge Bench condemned the decision in the infamous ADM Jabalpur case, better known as the habeas corpus case, as “seriously flawed.

Fundamental rights redefined: (Indian Express, Editorial)

From seeing them as distinct compartments against which to test laws, to understanding them as a cumulative whole, to now seeing them as boundaries which guarantee the dignity of a free individual in a modern republic, the courts have come a long way.

What the judgment means for Aadhaar, its constitutionality: (Indian Express, Explained)

Also, the very idea of a boundless general purpose identification database is constitutionally suspect following the unequivocal declaration of privacy as a fundamental right, and the drawing up of the conditions of restricting that right in as narrow a manner as the judgment has done.

India and neighbors

China agrees to tackle trade imbalance: (The Hindu)

China is keen to ensure that trade with India is not adversely affected by the prevailing military tension.

GS-3

Cyber security

Worried SC calls for robust data protection regime: (The Hindu)

The Supreme Court has urged the government to put in place a robust mechanism for data protection.

Indian Economy. Planning, Growth and Employment

‘Indians tend to borrow later in life’: (The Hindu)

Indian households tend to borrow later in life and are more likely to reach retirement age with positive debt balances, which is a source of risk given that they are no longer earning income during these years, a report of the Household Finance Committee observed.

Govt. tweaks norms to boost UDAN: (The Hindu)

The Civil Aviation Ministry has announced increasing viability gap funding for helicopter operators, diluting exclusivity clause and relaxed other norms to facilitate more participation in its regional connectivity scheme, UDAN.

Prelims Related News

—