The Crossbill News Desk
The Press Club of India (PCI), along with 21 other press organisations and more than 1,000 journalists and photojournalists from across the country, has raised serious objections to the provisions of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, claiming they infringe upon journalists’ fundamental rights.
In a joint memorandum submitted to Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, the PCI urged the government to exempt journalistic work across print, online, and electronic platforms from the purview of the law.
The campaign has received backing from a wide network of press associations, including the Press Clubs of Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bangalore, Jammu, Chennai, Shillong, Trivandrum, Chandigarh, Gauhati, Jaipur and Agartala, along with national organisations like the Delhi Union of Journalists, Indian Women’s Press Corps, Press Association, Kerala Union of Working Journalists, Indian Journalists Union, and the Working News Cameramen’s Association.
The memorandum, delivered through Press Information Bureau (PIB) Principal Director General Dhirendra Ojha, argues that the DPDP Act threatens journalists’ constitutionally guaranteed rights under Article 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(g), which protect freedom of speech and the right to practise any profession.
The PCI said it compiled the concerns after analysing the Act’s language and definitions in consultation with legal and data privacy experts.
According to the press release issued by PCI on June 25, the journalistic community is alarmed that the Ministry has brought professional media work under the DPDP Act’s ambit, despite it being excluded at the drafting stage.
The memorandum is part of an ongoing signature campaign launched in May 2025 to safeguard the freedom of the press and prevent any disruption to journalistic duties.
“We submitted the memorandum yesterday through PDG and sought an appointment with the minister for clarification,” PCI president Gautam Lahiri said.
“The office of the PDG has confirmed that the memorandum has been sent to the minister’s office. The PDG has promised to convey our message about the appointment to him. We are awaiting his answer, and hope the honourable minister will hear our arguments seeking the professional work of the journalists outside the purview of the Act. and clear the misgivings.”
The PCI has reiterated its demand that the DPDP Act be amended to ensure that it does not obstruct the vital and constitutionally protected functions of a free press.
In a joint memorandum submitted to Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, the PCI urged the government to exempt journalistic work across print, online, and electronic platforms from the purview of the law.
The campaign has received backing from a wide network of press associations, including the Press Clubs of Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bangalore, Jammu, Chennai, Shillong, Trivandrum, Chandigarh, Gauhati, Jaipur and Agartala, along with national organisations like the Delhi Union of Journalists, Indian Women’s Press Corps, Press Association, Kerala Union of Working Journalists, Indian Journalists Union, and the Working News Cameramen’s Association.
The memorandum, delivered through Press Information Bureau (PIB) Principal Director General Dhirendra Ojha, argues that the DPDP Act threatens journalists’ constitutionally guaranteed rights under Article 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(g), which protect freedom of speech and the right to practise any profession.
The PCI said it compiled the concerns after analysing the Act’s language and definitions in consultation with legal and data privacy experts.
According to the press release issued by PCI on June 25, the journalistic community is alarmed that the Ministry has brought professional media work under the DPDP Act’s ambit, despite it being excluded at the drafting stage.
The memorandum is part of an ongoing signature campaign launched in May 2025 to safeguard the freedom of the press and prevent any disruption to journalistic duties.
“We submitted the memorandum yesterday through PDG and sought an appointment with the minister for clarification,” PCI president Gautam Lahiri said.
“The office of the PDG has confirmed that the memorandum has been sent to the minister’s office. The PDG has promised to convey our message about the appointment to him. We are awaiting his answer, and hope the honourable minister will hear our arguments seeking the professional work of the journalists outside the purview of the Act. and clear the misgivings.”
The PCI has reiterated its demand that the DPDP Act be amended to ensure that it does not obstruct the vital and constitutionally protected functions of a free press.
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