PUCL Judgment 1997
Definition
People's Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India (1997) 1 SCC 301; the Supreme Court ruling that directed the Indian government to establish procedural safeguards for telephone interception under Article 21 of the Constitution, resulting in the amended Indian Telegraph Rules 1999.
- Citation
- People's Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India, (1997) 1 SCC 301
- Court
- Supreme Court of India
- Result
- Directed procedural safeguards for telephone interception
- Follow-on
- Amended Indian Telegraph Rules 1999
Common questions
What safeguards did the judgment actually require?+
It directed procedural checks such as authorisation by a competent authority, periodic review committees, and defined retention and review periods for interception orders, later codified as Rule 419A of the Indian Telegraph Rules.
Why is this decades-old case still cited in current interception law?+
It established the Article 21 constitutional baseline that later Indian surveillance and interception frameworks, including provisions under the IT Act, continue to be measured against.
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