On 21 July 2025, the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court issued a temporary injunction preventing the DMK party from using OTP (one-time password) verification messages as part of their membership campaign titled ‘Oraniyil Tamil Nadu‘. This interim order comes amid concerns over data privacy and protection, which the court has deemed necessary to examine in detail.
The case was heard by a division bench comprising Justice S.M. Subramaniam and Justice A.D. Maria Clete, who noted that ‘Oraniyil Tamil Nadu’ is a door-to-door membership initiative by the DMK, a recognized political party in Tamil Nadu. Given that the campaign involves the collection of personal data from citizens, the judges acknowledged the significance of the public interest litigation (PIL), stating that it raises critical issues about citizens’ right to privacy and the current data protection framework in place.
The bench also highlighted that digital membership campaigns by political parties are a relatively new phenomenon, and the mechanisms for data storage and processing need scrutiny to uphold both privacy rights and the freedom of political association. The court emphasized the need to determine whether individuals are providing informed consent and whether such data collection practices unfairly disadvantage smaller political parties.
In response, the court restricted the DMK’s use of OTP-based verification for the enrollment drive and issued notices seeking responses from the Central government, the Tamil Nadu state government, and the DMK. The case has been adjourned for two weeks.
The PIL was filed by S. Rajkumar, a resident of T. Athikarai village in Sivaganga district. He alleged that DMK functionaries, under the guise of promoting the ‘Oraniyil Tamil Nadu’ campaign, were collecting Aadhaar numbers and other personal details, including voter ID information, from residents in his locality. Rajkumar claimed that when his family refused to provide these documents, the party workers threatened to cut off government welfare benefits, including the monthly financial assistance received by women in the household.
Furthermore, he asserted that the DMK was collecting mobile phone numbers and sending unsolicited campaign messages linked to OTP verification. Many recipients, he said, were unaware of the implications of these messages. He also alleged that individuals were being pressured to join the party under the threat of losing access to government schemes.
According to Rajkumar, the unauthorized gathering and handling of Aadhaar data by a political party violates constitutional privacy protections. He contended that private organizations, including political parties, are not legally permitted to collect Aadhaar information for purposes outside those explicitly authorized by law. Such data collection, he argued, could lead to profiling of individuals and enable targeted political campaigning, which could undermine free and fair elections.
The petitioner therefore requested that the court prohibit the DMK and its representatives from collecting Aadhaar data for any reason. He also called for the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to launch a comprehensive investigation into the matter.
(With inputs from Times Of India)
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