TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has lashed out at the Centre for its order to give central agencies and the Delhi Police sweeping powers to intercept computers, saying India has been living in a state of “undeclared emergency” ever since the BJP government came to power.
“India has been under undeclared emergency since May 2014. Now, in its last couple of months, the Modi government is crossing all limits by seeking control of even the citizen’s computers. Can such curtailment of fundamental rights be tolerated in the world’s largest democracy?” Mr. Kejriwal tweeted.
The Aam Aadmi Party Convener’s reaction came after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday issued an order giving 10 central agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Delhi Police to “intercept, monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer”.
The AAP also issued a statement on the matter and called the decision “unconstitutional, undemocratic and a direct attack on citizen’s right to privacy”. “The order is in contempt of the Supreme Court’s August 2017 verdict declaring privacy being a fundamental right. The Aam Aadmi Party will strongly oppose it in both Houses and will press the government to take it back,” the party said in the statement.
