Supreme Court Declines To Stay Madras HC Order Restraining DMK’s Use Of OTP For Membership Campaign

The Supreme Court on Monday (4 August) declined to stay an interim order of the Madras High Court that restrained the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) from using OTP-based verification messages for its membership campaign, ‘Oraniyil Tamil Nadu’, the Business Standard reported.

A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and A S Chandurkar dismissed the party’s appeal, calling the issue “sensitive” and expressing concern over the potential misuse of data.

“The court has to protect the citizens. Go back to the High Court. We are not inclined to interfere in the matter. Dismissed,” the bench remarked.

Appearing for the DMK, senior advocate P Wilson argued that the party was not collecting Aadhaar details and that the High Court had passed the interim injunction despite no specific prayer for such a direction in the public interest litigation (PIL).

“My whole programme has come to a standstill. 1.7 crore members have enrolled. I’m doing what other parties like the BJP and Aam Aadmi Party are doing,” he told the bench.

The Madras High Court had passed the interim injunction on 21 July, observing that the campaign raised serious concerns around data protection and individual privacy.

It noted that the collection of personal data from citizens during the drive, including potentially sensitive information, warranted judicial scrutiny.

The High Court order came in response to a PIL filed by S Rajkumar, a resident of T Athikarai village in Sivaganga district, who alleged that DMK functionaries were gathering Aadhaar and other personal details from residents under the pretext of political enrolment.

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