In a strong message on student privacy, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday set aside a government order that sought detailed personal and social information from schoolchildren studying in Model Schools across Tamil Nadu. The court held that the data collection exercise intruded into students’ private lives and amounted to discriminatory treatment.
The bench, while allowing a public interest petition, ruled that the move violated the fundamental right to privacy guaranteed under the Constitution.
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Background of the Case
The case was filed by Ameer Alam, who challenged an order issued by the Member Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Model School Society on September 4, 2025. The order directed schools to collect sensitive personal data of students studying from Classes 9 to 12.
The information sought included whether a student belonged to a single-parent family, refugee background, nomadic community, children of prisoners, students with gender non-conformity, children of sanitary workers, and several other vulnerable or socially identifiable categories.
The petitioner argued that such data collection would stigmatise students and expose them to discrimination within the school environment.
Court’s Observations
A Division Bench comprising Justice G. Jayachandran and Justice K.K. Ramakrishnan expressed serious concern over the nature of information being sought and the manner in which it was being collected.
The judges noted that the government failed to clearly explain why such deeply personal data was required. During the hearing, the counsel for the Model School authorities was unable to justify the necessity of collecting this information, except stating that it would be kept confidential.
The bench observed that the list of categories itself showed how intrusive the exercise was. It included details about students’ family structure, social background, health conditions, and even parents’ occupations.
“The information sought is highly sensitive in nature and directly intrudes into the privacy of young students,” the court remarked.
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Privacy and Constitutional Concerns
The court relied heavily on the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) vs Union of India, which recognised the right to privacy as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Quoting from the judgment, the bench observed:
“Privacy is a constitutionally protected right. It preserves personal autonomy and safeguards dignity. It is not lost merely because a person is in a public space.”
The High Court held that forcing children to disclose such personal details violated their dignity and autonomy, especially when no clear purpose or safeguard was demonstrated.
Court’s Decision
Calling the move an “absolute abuse of power,” the court ruled that the data collection exercise would stigmatise students and expose them to discrimination.
“The impugned order is liable to be quashed as it infringes the right to privacy and treats students unfairly based on their background,” the bench observed.
Accordingly, the High Court quashed the government order dated September 4, 2025, and allowed the writ petition. All connected petitions were also closed. No costs were imposed.
Case Title: Ameer Alam vs Government of Tamil Nadu
Case Number: W.P.(MD) No. 29474 of 2025
Case Type: Public Interest Litigation
Decision Date: 05 January 2026
