Data Leak Row: Chennithala Demands CM Vijayan's Resignation

(MENAFN- IANS) Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 27 (IANS) Congress Working Committee member and senior legislator Ramesh Chennithala, who had accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of orchestrating a massive leak of personal data of over one crore citizens for alleged electoral gains, on Friday demanded his immediate resignation.

Chennithala alleged that government-verified personal details, including phone numbers, age, gender, district, ward and local body information of nearly eight lakh state government employees, 72 lakh welfare pensioners, three lakh small entrepreneurs and lakhs of women enrolled under the Women's Safety Scheme were accessed and shared with private agencies without consent.

On Friday, he released documents, including letters purportedly issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), to claim that sensitive data from the K-SMART database and other government platforms were directed to be handed over to designated personnel linked to the IT Mission but functioning from the CMO.

According to him, the data was subsequently used to send WhatsApp messages to nearly one crore individuals between February 19 and 21 through a business account operated from the Chief Minister's Office.

He termed the move“completely illegal and unconstitutional,” alleging it amounted to a grave invasion of privacy.

Chennithala argued that the alleged data transfer violated the landmark 2017 Supreme Court judgment in the Justice K.S. Puttaswamy case, which upheld privacy as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution.

He further contended that provisions of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, had been breached, particularly those relating to consent-based data processing.

Drawing parallels with the controversial Sprinklr data sharing episode during the Covid period, he claimed the present move reflected a similar pattern of handing over citizen data without adequate safeguards, but this time for“political purposes”.

He also questioned a recent government order empanelling multiple private agencies to expand IT operations weeks before elections, calling the timing“deeply suspicious”.

Warning that such data exposure could enable cyber fraud and misuse, especially against vulnerable women and pensioners, Chennithala demanded a comprehensive investigation and criminal proceedings against those responsible.

The Chief Minister's Office has not yet formally responded to the allegations, which are set to intensify the political battle in the run-up to the Assembly elections.

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