SC refuses to interfere in Madras HC order against Tamil Nadu government scheme

On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to intervene in a July 21 directive from the Madras high court that halted the execution of a membership drive initiative set forth by the state government .

A bench of justices PS Narasimha and AS Chandurkar refused to entertain the state’s appeal as it said, “We are not willing to interfere as the order passed is interim in nature.” Senior advocate P Wilson appearing for the state argued that the high court stayed the outreach scheme titled “Oraniyil Tamil Nadu” on the ground that collection of mobile numbers amounts to violation of privacy.

“If the court is applying this yardstick, then this is being done by other national parties as well. What the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) do, we are doing it,” Wilson said.

The bench said, “This argument does not justify not having scrutiny. They (similar schemes by other parties) are equally bad. If somebody challenges it, the matter will be heard.” Wilson, who is also a member of parliament, informed the court that the entire drive has come to a standstill with nearly 17 million members having enrolled with the drive.

The senior attorney urged the court to review the appeal and assess the accuracy of the HC order, clarifying that the mobile phone sharing is solely for obtaining OTP, akin to the process followed when using a ride-hailing app like Ola. He additionally mentioned that the petition submitted to the HC has been filed by an official of the opposing AIADMK party Rajkumar.

Advocate Balaji Srinivasan, representing Rajkumar, informed the court that the state has sought to contest the interim stay in the high court, which is scheduled for Tuesday.The court inquired if the state is interested in contesting the stay issued by the high court or the viability of the petition in the high court. It stated that the matter is delicate and the court will consistently prioritize the protection of citizens