Congress MP Manish Tewari Raises Concerns Over Classification Of DPDP Bill As Financial Bill
Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari has expressed deep concern over the classification of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Bill as a Financial Bill.
The bill, which is set to be introduced in the Parliament, has sparked controversy as its classification could potentially limit the scrutiny it receives in the legislative process.
Congress MP Manish Tewari, who was part of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) that studied the Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill, raised his voice against the sudden reclassification. He shared a circular indicating that President Draupadi Murmu has recommended the introduction of the DPDP Bill under Article 117(1) of the Constitution, dealing with provisions of financial bills, and consideration under Article 117(3). This move implies that the bill may be treated as a Money Bill, which would prevent the Rajya Sabha from voting on it.
Addressing the issue, Tewari questioned the basis for classifying the DPDP Bill as a Financial Bill and expressed concerns over the lack of transparency in the process. If the bill is certified as a Money Bill by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, it would only be subject to non-binding recommendations from the Rajya Sabha, potentially limiting meaningful deliberations on its content.
Tewari also criticised the bill's latest iteration, stating that it undermines the efforts of the Joint Committee on the Data Protection Bill, led by two BJP members, Pralhad Joshi and Meenakshi Lekhi.
Prateek Waghre, policy director at Internet Freedom Foundation, raised concerns about the potential consequences of passing a deficient bill without addressing long-standing concerns.
The DPDP Bill, which will be introduced by Minister for Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Ashwini Vaishnaw in the Lok Sabha, comes exactly one year after the government withdrew the Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill.
