I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw invites editors to discuss, address DPDP Act

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Vaishnaw assures DPDP Act safeguards press freedom and invites editors for dialogue, open to amendments if needed.

By Shishir Sinha

Updated - October 28, 2026 at 08:07 PM. | New Delhi

Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Asserting that journalistic independence is protected in India, Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday assured that the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act does not infringe press freedom. Meanwhile, sources indicated that the government would be open to amending the law to explicitly safeguard journalistic activity.

“The journalistic freedom is guaranteed by the Constitution of India. That freedom is absolutely available. There is not even an intention to affect the journalistic freedom,” the Minister told reporters here. This remark has been made at a time when the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA), a group of 21 publishers from across the media spectrum, has moved the Supreme Court asserting that the Central government’s new privacy law will “shut down news rooms and usher in an era of censorship”.

The factual position is that the Indian Constitution contains no express guarantee of press freedom. Unlike the First Amendment in the United States, it makes no separate mention of the press; the freedom is derived from the right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) and is subject to the reasonable restrictions listed in Article 19(2). The Constituent Assembly consciously chose this course, with B R Ambedkar arguing that the press enjoys no rights beyond those of any other citizen. It was left to the Supreme Court to read the freedom into the text, beginning with Romesh Thappar v State of Madras and Brij Bhushan v State of Delhi in 1950, which struck down curbs on circulation and pre-censorship, and extended in later rulings such as Sakal Papers (1962) and Bennett Coleman (1972), which treated restrictions on a newspaper’s price, pages and newsprint as restrictions on speech itself

Journalistic freedom

The Minister countered the DNPA’s argument that the DPDP Act forces censorship. “The privacy law absolutely maintains, fully maintains the journalistic freedom, the Constitution guarantees,” he said, maintaining that the legislation was intended to protect personal data without impinging on media freedom.

Vaishnaw said the DPDP Act followed a Supreme Court judgment that recognised the right to privacy as a fundamental right. The law was framed after more than a year of consultations involving newspapers, television channels, media representatives, the information technology industry and other stakeholders, he pointed out.

“It was clearly explained that provisions of the DPDP Act nowhere infringe upon freedom of the press, journalism and freedom of media,” the Minister said. He also invited editors and media professionals to engage in an open dialogue with the government to discuss concerns surrounding the legislation.

Meanwhile, a top source indicated a possible legislative route for addressing concerns over the absence of an explicit journalistic exemption. In response to a question about whether such protection could be expressly written into the law, he said an amendment would be possible if required. “If hardcoding is required, we can hardcode it; it only requires an amendment,” the source said.

Clear intent

The source said the intent of the government is clear, but it is willing to sit and discuss. “This is not a big problem which cannot be solved. And if, because of this, there is any confusion, how much time does it take to clear that confusion... Go to Parliament, and make an amendment.” 

In their legal challenge to the DPDP Act, the news publishers have argued that the absence of an explicit exemption for journalistic activities could make it harder to report on matters of public interest, particularly investigations involving personal information collected without the subject’s consent.

Their concerns centre on requirements governing notice, consent and the processing of personal data, as well as the potential implications for retaining information relevant to investigations and protecting confidential sources.

The government’s position, as articulated by Vaishnaw, is that the legislation protects personal privacy without curtailing constitutional guarantees of press freedom.

Published on October 28, 2026

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