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Can your employer see your ITR? Supreme Court steps in over data privacy concerns

Livemint · · International · Privacy Law

India's Supreme Court has intervened in a case examining whether employers have the right to access employees' income tax returns, raising concerns about financial privacy in the workplace.

Why this matters: Your tax return is not just a number. It holds your income, your debts, your investments, your family's finances, and sometimes details you have never shared with anyone at work. If employers can pull that data, the power imbalance in a job relationship gets worse. The court stepping in matters because it signals that access to sensitive personal records needs a legal basis, not just a business reason.

Who should care: General readers · Privacy officers · Policy

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