With reference to the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, consider the following statements: 1. The DNPA represents 21 news organisations in its petition. 2. The Act carries penalties of up to Rs 250 crore. 3. The DPDP Rules were notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Supreme Court seeks Centre's response to DNPA petition challenging DPDP Act, 2023

GS3Economy · S&T · Environment · Security· IT, AI, semiconductors & computing· Prelims + Mains· 28 October 2026

Data privacy vs. freedom of press: a relevant GS3 and Ethics case study on regulatory compliance.

Why in news

The Supreme Court sought the Centre's response to a petition by the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) challenging the DPDP Act, 2023 and DPDP Rules, 2025 over a lack of journalism exemptions.

Background

The Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) represents 21 news organisations. The DPDP Act, 2023 carries penalties of up to Rs 250 crore and was notified by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on November 13, 2025.

Facts for Prelims

BodyDNPA: Represents 21 news organisations in the petition against the DPDP Act.
FactThe DPDP Act, 2023 carries penalties of up to Rs 250 crore.
PostMeitY: The ministry responsible for notifying the DPDP Act and Rules.
Act / BillDPDP Rules, 2025: The specific rules being challenged alongside the 2023 Act.

Prelims practice question

With reference to the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, consider the following statements:

The DNPA represents 21 news organisations in its petition.
The Act carries penalties of up to Rs 250 crore.
The DPDP Rules were notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a)1 only
(b)3 only
(c)1 and 2 only
(d)2 and 3 only

Show answer

Answer: (c) 1 and 2 only — Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Statement 3 is incorrect: The ministry responsible for notifying the Act and Rules is MeitY.

For Mains

Q. Discuss the tension between personal data privacy and the freedom of the press under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

Dimensions to cover in your answer

Journalistic autonomy: Conflict between data protection mandates and the right to report on public interest issues.
Regulatory overreach: Potential for heavy financial penalties (Rs 250 crore) to stifle independent media operations.
Exemption ambiguity: Lack of specific carve-outs for news gathering and journalistic activities in the current legislative framework.

Keywords: Data Privacy · Freedom of Press · Regulatory Compliance · Journalistic Exemption · Digital Governance

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