Polity · 15 Aug 2026

Puttaswamy proportionality test privacy legality

Consider the following statements:

  1. The K.S. Puttaswamy (2017) judgment requires that any state infringement of privacy satisfy three conditions in sequence: legality, legitimate aim and proportionality.
  2. The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022 authorises the collection of biometric data from any person present at a protest site, irrespective of arrest.
  3. The K.S. Puttaswamy judgment recognising privacy as a fundamental right was delivered by a nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court in 2017.
A1 only
B2 and 3 only
C1 and 3 only
D1, 2 and 3
This question is based on: Puttaswamy Asked for a Law First. Ikshana, AjnaLens and Abhigyan Never Got One.
Take this in full test mode → Instructions for 15 Aug 2026
About this question

Why in news

A Supreme Court petition challenges Delhi Police's use of facial recognition tools (Ikshana, AjnaLens, Abhigyan) at NEET-UG protests, arguing no statute authorises their deployment against uncharged protesters; the Court's July 28 interim order directed that the collected data be preserved and not publicly released.

Why for UPSC

This tests whether aspirants know the Puttaswamy test is sequential (legality first) and can correctly identify the actual statutory scope of the 2022 Identification Act, rather than assuming any biometric collection law covers all contexts.

Prelims summary

Puttaswamy (2017), a nine-judge bench ruling, requires state privacy infringements to clear legality, legitimate aim and proportionality in sequence; the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022 authorises biometric collection only from convicts and arrested persons, not uncharged protesters.

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