Justice K.S. Puttaswamy’s Legacy and Impact on

• Justice K.S. Puttaswamy, a former Karnataka High Court judge, was a key petitioner in the Supreme Court.

• He challenged the Aadhaar identity scheme, arguing it violated citizens’ right to privacy.

• Puttaswamy’s challenge was dismissed by the government as a ‘flighty imagination’ of urban elitists.

• The Supreme Court unanimously agreed with Puttaswamy in August 2017, stating privacy was fundamental to every human being, regardless of wealth or status.

• His litigation impacted every aspect of life, including the abolition of adultery as a crime. • The court also addressed the argument that the right to privacy persists even after death in a case involving the verification of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s fingerprints from her Aadhaar data