A nine-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court today unanimously declared right to privacy as a fundamental right, Times of India has reported.
Headed by Chief Justice of India J S Khehar, the nine-judge bench overruled the previous two judgments by a six-judge and an eight-judge bench of the Supreme Court, which had ruled that Right to Privacy is not a fundamental right. Other members of the bench include Justices J Chelameswar, S A Bobde, R K Agrawal, R F Nariman, A M Sapre, D Y Chandrachud, S K Kaul and S Abdul Nazeer.
Privacy is intrinsic to freedom of life and personal liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution, the bench has said in its judgement, one which will have a bearing on other key verdicts. These include cases on the validity of Aadhaar and the ruling on Section 377 which criminalises gay sex, News18 reports.