Madras High Court issues restraining order on DMK membership drive; DMK denies collecting Aadhaar and OTPs, calling allegations “false and misleading” amid privacy violation claims.
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CHENNAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court is examining a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that raises critical questions about data privacy, political campaigns, and voter rights, challenging the legality of the DMK’s ongoing membership drive.
Filed by an AIADMK advocate, the PIL alleges that the ruling DMK party is collecting Aadhaar numbers, OTPs, and other personal data from the public in violation of the Aadhaar Act and privacy norms.
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The PIL claims that the DMK’s mass membership campaign, aimed at enrolling 30% of Tamil Nadu’s voters ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, involves coercive data collection practices. Specific allegations include pressuring citizens, particularly women, to submit Aadhaar details, ration cards, voter IDs, bank passbooks, and mobile numbers. It was further alleged that OTP verification was being used in the name of Aadhaar authentication to create a politically motivated voter database.
Strongly rebutting these claims, the DMK appeared before the court and categorically denied collecting any Aadhaar data or conducting Aadhaar-based authentication. According to the party’s counsel, the OTP system mentioned is only used to record the individual’s voluntary consent for enrolment, not to access or verify Aadhaar details.
The DMK stated in court,
“Members are being enrolled purely on the basis of the Electoral Roll released by the Election Commission. No documents like Aadhaar, ration card, or passbook are being collected. The PIL is based on misinformation spread by AIADMK.”
Though the High Court has not entirely halted the DMK’s membership drive, it passed an interim order on Monday restraining the party from collecting Aadhaar and OTP details. The court also directed the Election Commission and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to provide their response, signaling the seriousness of data protection concerns in political activities.
Following this, the DMK temporarily paused its membership campaign and requested the court to treat the matter as urgent. The bench has now asked the DMK to file a formal impleading petition, granting it the right to be heard in full before any final order is passed.
One of the judges emphasized the importance of natural justice, observing that no adverse finding should be made without first giving the respondents a fair opportunity to present their case. This ensures the due process of law, especially in politically sensitive matters involving fundamental rights like privacy.
The case is expected to be taken up later this week for detailed hearings. The outcome could be pivotal, not just for the DMK or AIADMK, but for all political parties in India. It may determine the permissible boundaries of voter outreach in the digital age.
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