ITANAGAR, 30 Jun: The Indian Journalists Union (IJU) has vehemently opposed the proposed Income-Tax Bill, 2025, which grants tax authorities access to an individual’s “virtual digital space” during search and seizure operations.
The IJU stated that the provision, justified as a measure to combat tax evasion, poses a severe threat to the fundamental rights to privacy and press freedom, guaranteed under Articles 19 and 21 of the Indian Constitution.
“The ambiguous term ‘virtual digital space’ allows tax authorities unprecedented access to personal and professional digital communications, including those of journalists. Such surveillance will have a chilling effect on press freedom, compromising the confidentiality of sources and hindering investigative journalism. This undermines the media’s role as a watchdog of democracy and the public’s right to information,” it added.
IJU President Geetartha Pathak said, “This bill endangers the freedom of the press by exposing journalists’ digital communications to state scrutiny. Protecting source confidentiality is critical to our work, and this provision threatens to silence independent journalism.”
IJU Secretary-General Sabina Inderjit stated, “The right to privacy is sacrosanct, and this bill’s lack of clear safeguards endangers every citizen. Unchecked access to digital spaces under the guise of tax enforcement risks authoritarian overreach. We demand that the government withdraw this provision and uphold constitutional protections.”
The IJU further urged the government to scrap the invasive proposal and engage in dialogue with media organizations and civil society to devise targeted, rights-respecting measures for tax enforcement.
“We stand firm in defending press freedom and the right to privacy – essential pillars of India’s democracy,” the IJU stated.
