The Supreme Court on Monday observed that asking an accused to share Google pin location as part of bail condition impacted the right to privacy guaranteed under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
The order was passed by the Bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, which observed that sharing Google pin location cannot be a condition for bail.
The Apex Court observed that earlier, the top court of the country had done this in two instances, but it cannot be a bail condition.
The Bench had earlier directed Google India to explain how its pin location-sharing feature on Google Maps worked, with a view to examine whether directing the accused to share their Google pin location would violate their right to privacy.
The Apex Court had then clarified that it was not impleading Google India as a party to the case, but was only seeking information from the company.
The Apex Court today reserved its judgement on the aspect of Google pin location as a bail condition. For the rest of the issues, it posted the matter for further hearing on July 26.
Senior Advocate Vinay Navare is Amicus Curiae in the matter.
Advocate Varun Mishra appeared for the petitioner and Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee appeared for the Narcotics Control Bureau.