Shivani Gadhavi –
Published On: December 2, 2021 at 20:10 IST
On 1st December 2021, the Kerala High Court in the case of Suo Motu Vs Travancore Devaswom Board directed the Project Manager of the Tata Consultancy Services about the data privacy of pilgrims who logged into the Sabrimala Virtual Que Portal.
The Kerala High Court Division Bench of Justice Anil K. Narendran and Justice P.G. Ajithkumar were hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Kerala Police that questioned the relevancy of the ‘Sabrimala Pilgrim Management System; The Police argued that the portal does not allow Darshan to those who do not avail of the services of the Online Portal.
The Sabrimala Pilgrim Management System in video with the official website is being facilitated by the Tata Consultancy Services situated in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
In the first hearing of the case, the Kerala High Court Bench had ordered the Tata Consultancy Services to submit a report confirming inputs that ensure the safety of the data privacy of the pilgrims who avail of the portal’s services. Since the Consultancy Company did not adhere to the Court’s order, the latter has directed the company to record an affidavit regarding the same.
The Kerala High Court also noted in an order that the Project Manager has to state in the Affidavit whether the data collected of the devotees by the Sabrimala Pilgrim Management System is used for any other purpose and if the Kerala Police has access to the data.
The Advocate for Tata Consultancy Services asked for 10 days to prepare the Affidavit and the date of the next hearing was set by the Court for 14th December 2021.