The Supreme Court Bench comprising CJI Suryakant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana, heard concerns over the alleged access and sale of citizens’ EPFO and Income Tax Return (ITR) data by private entities, with the Bench indicating that the issue may warrant a time-bound consideration by the Union Government.

During the hearing, counsel submitted that private organisations were allegedly advertising that they could access individuals’ EPFO and ITR records and were offering such personal and financial information for sums of money. The counsel described the material as involving the personal data of thousands of citizens, raising concerns over how such information could be accessed from digital repositories.

Counsel submitted that representations had already been made to the Union Government and other authorities, but sought the Court’s intervention to give the issue greater impetus and ensure that the concerns were considered expeditiously.

The Bench indicated that, rather than immediately issuing notice, the concerned authorities could be directed to consider the detailed representation within a specified timeframe. Counsel suggested that the Government be directed to consider the representation and place its response before the Court, allowing the matter to be addressed administratively while remaining subject to further judicial consideration.

The Court also heard submissions referring to an exercise undertaken by counsel involving applications to private organisations, through which information concerning individuals had allegedly been obtained. Counsel submitted that the material indicated that the issue was not an isolated incident and warranted examination by the authorities.