Intelligence agencies have demanded a "blanket exemption" from the ambit of the Right to Privacy Bill, 2014, the legislation under the anvil after the Niira Radia episode. The proposed law will impose heavy costs and punishment for intrusion into a citizen's privacy or leakage of personal details.
The draft bill exempts security and intelligence agencies from the bill's ambit if the agencies can prove that their actions of compromising a citizen's privacy were in national interest.
However, ET has learnt that the Home Ministry has informed the Department of Personnel and Training piloting the bill that Intelligence agencies are not satisfied with the rider. "The Home Ministry has said that establishing in each case, that an action of the agencies was in the interest of integrity, security and sovereignty of the country is not only practically difficult but will lead to litigation. The Home Ministry hence wants blanket exemption for the agencies from the bill," a senior DoPT official told ET.