Kerala HC slams CM Vijayan’s office for grave breach of privacy

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Kochi, Feb 24 (IANS) The Kerala High Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) over allegations that it accessed and used personal data of government employees to circulate promotional messages, observing that the matter involved a serious intrusion into privacy.

Hearing a petition challenging the alleged use of employees’ contact details from official databases, the Court questioned how the CMO obtained information from the Service Payroll Administrative Repository for Kerala (SPARK).

It pointed out that earlier orders clearly stipulated that personal data collected for official purposes must not be used for any other purpose.

“How did these private details reach the Chief Minister?” the Court asked, terming the allegations grave.

The Bench observed that the government’s action, prima facie, amounted to an invasion of privacy.

It also remarked that the State was disseminating information that people had not sought.

The Court repeatedly sought to know from the government the source of the data and under what authority it had been accessed.

It issued notice to the State government seeking a detailed explanation on the issue.

During the hearing, the government pleader informed the Court that no further messages would be circulated until the matter is taken up again.

Recording the submission, the Court made it clear that messages should not be sent in the interim.

The High Court further directed the government to file a detailed affidavit specifying how many messages had been sent from the CMO and to how many individuals.

The affidavit is expected to clarify the mechanism through which the data was obtained and used.

The case is scheduled to be considered again on Friday.

The observations assume significance amid allegations that bulk messages publicising the State government’s achievements were sent to government employees ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

The Court’s prima facie finding of a privacy breach places the focus squarely on data governance practices within the government.

Surprisingly this has been done by a Communist government when their national leaders always speaks of data privacy.

Last week the High Court came down heavily on a state-sponsored survey and that also was stopped, after it found out that the CPI-M the ruling party came to know of the survey and had gone public, even before the state government came out with the order about the survey.

–IANS

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Arunachal Guv bats for enhanced marketing of SHG-made products

Itanagar, July 11 (IANS) Arunachal Pradesh Governor Lt. General K.T. Parnaik (retd) on Friday emphasised on better marketing of the products produced by the Self-Help Groups (SHGs).

The Governor underlined the need for dedicated SHG Product Marketing Hubs in key towns, including Itanagar, Ziro, Tezu, Pasighat, Namsai, Aalo, Bomdila, and Tawang.

He said that the Government can provide the infrastructure, but the leadership and ownership must come from the SHGs. The hubs must become vibrant SHG Bazaars, windows into the creativity and strength of our rural women, the Governor said.

The Governor, along with the first lady of the state, Anagha Parnaik, interacted with members of SHGs from across the state during a special event held at Raj Bhavan, Itanagar, on Friday.

Organised by Raj Bhavan in collaboration with the Arunachal State Rural Livelihood Mission under the Department of Rural Development, the event served as a platform to celebrate the spirit of ‘Lakhpati Didis’, women who are transforming their lives and communities through enterprise, resilience, and vision. He asked them to embrace technology, improve packaging and branding, learn digital marketing, and take Arunachal’s products from local to global.

The Governor inspired the women to be proud entrepreneurs, urging them to register their ventures, build group brands, and actively participate in exhibitions across the state and the country.

Highlighting the importance of innovation rooted in tradition, he encouraged them to make the best use of local resources, like bamboo, wild fruits, herbs, recycled materials, and textiles, blending traditional knowledge with modern techniques.

He envisioned the rise of a strong ‘Made in Arunachal’ identity. Lt. General Parnaik advised the SHGs to coordinate with cooperative societies to identify markets within and outside the state.

He assured provisions of working office and market areas in districts with assistance from the Deputy Commissioners and the administration.

The Governor also called upon SHGs to the ‘Train the Trainers’ initiative to build a cadre of Master Didis who can mentor other SHGs in essential skills like business management, accounting, hygiene, packaging, and customer service.

He encouraged them to document their journeys, stories of struggle, growth, and success, to inspire others and contribute to a proposed ‘Voices of Change’ series, which would capture the spirit of grassroots development in Arunachal.

Recognising that most SHG members are mothers, the Governor called on them to play an active role in society, especially in combating drug abuse and tuberculosis, promoting hygiene and sanitation, and ensuring every child completes their basic education.

The Governor affirmed that the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to empower Lakhpati Didis is already taking shape in Arunachal Pradesh.

He said that the SHGs of Arunachal Pradesh are the living proof that this transformation is real, women creating wealth with dignity, driving economic change from the grassroots, and laying the foundation for a Viksit Arunachal and Viksit Bharat.

–IANS

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UPI transactions surge 29 pc at 21.63 billion in Dec, consumption growth remains strong

New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) The unified payments interface (UPI) saw 29 per cent transaction count growth (year-on-year) at 21.63 billion in the month of December — along with registering 20 per cent annual growth in transaction amount at Rs 27.97 lakh crore, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) data showed on Thursday.

Month-wise, the UPI transaction count as well as amount grew significantly too.

Average daily transaction amount in December stood at Rs 90,217 crore, up from Rs 87,721 crore in November, the NPCI data showed.

The month of December recorded 698 million average daily transaction counts, up from 682 million registered in November.

In November, the UPI saw 32 per cent transaction count growth (year-on-year) at 20.47 billion — along with registering 22 per cent annual growth in transaction amount at Rs 26.32 lakh crore.

Meanwhile, monthly transactions via instant money transfer (IMPS) stood at 6.62 lakh crore in December, up 10 per cent on-year and increased from 6.15 lakh crore in November.

The IMPS transaction count came at 380 million, up from 369 million in November. Daily transaction amount via IMPS stood at Rs 21,269 crore, up from Rs 20,506 crore in November.

According to a recent report, India reached 709 million active UPI QRs, marking a 21 per cent increase since July 2024. Dense QR acceptance across kiranas, pharmacies, transport hubs, and rural markets has made scan-and-pay the default payment mode nationwide, according to the report by Worldline India.

Person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions continued to outpace person-to-person (P2P), reflecting UPI’s dominance in everyday retail payments.

P2M transactions were up 35 per cent to 37.46 billion transactions while P2P transactions rose 29 per cent to 21.65 billion transactions, the report had said. The average ticket size declined to Rs 1,262 (from Rs 1,363), highlighting increased usage for micro-transactions such as mobility, food, healthcare essentials, and hyperlocal commerce.

Notably, India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) has played a transformational role in enabling universal access to services, bridging urban–rural gaps and strengthening the country’s position as a global digital powerhouse.

—IANS

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Bengaluru techie falls prey to digital arrest; loses Rs 11 crore

Bengaluru, Dec 23 (IANS) An incident of a software professional losing Rs 11 crore after falling victim to digital arrest has been reported from Bengaluru on Monday, the police said.

According to the police, the cyber fraudsters disguised themselves as police officials from the Mumbai Crime Branch and committed the crime through digital arrest.

The victim is identified as 39-year-old Vijaykumar, who working with a reputed IT company in Bengaluru.

The case has been registered in this regard with the North East Cybercrime, Economic Offences, Narcotics (CEN) police station in Bengaluru.

The victim was told that a case was registered under his name in Mumbai’s Colaba police station and they found that a cash transfer was made using his Aadhaar number.

The fraudsters claimed that it was a case involving cheating of Rs 6 crore and his Aadhaar card was misused to open bank accounts for money laundering.

The accused also claimed that the case is currently being looked into by the Supreme Court.

Police said that the cybercriminals had done their homework and collected information that the victim had invested in the share market for many years.

The accused had told him to sell his shares threatening arrest.

In a phased manner the accused had extorted Rs 11.83 crore to their accounts.

The accused, after succeeding in threatening the victim of dire consequences, kept him engaged over phone calls for more than a month by threatening in one or the other manner.

In this period of digital arrest, the accused had suggested to the techie that he should leave his residence and hide in a different place to avoid the arrest.

As per the accused’s instructions, the victim had stayed in a lodge in Yelahanka locality of Bengaluru, police said.

The accused who initially claimed as cops posted with the Mumbai crime branch later went on to threaten and blackmail the victim and also identified themselves as officers from the Income Tax and the Enforcement Directorate departments to extort the money.

Even after transferring a huge sum, the accused still demanded more money and the victim realised and approached the police.

Digital arrest is a type of online fraud where scammers impersonate law enforcement or government officials to falsely claim the authority to arrest someone digitally.

The scammers may contact the victim over the phone or online, and force them to stay on a video call until their demands are met.

The scammers may extort money in exchange for agreeing not to expose the false legal cases they have constructed.

–IANS

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