Legitimacy of private detective services: questions over regulation, privacy and State’s obligations

Private investigation agencies must be regulated through legislation, for they violate the fundamental right to privacy of individuals, writes  NISHTHA NIKHIL GUPTA.

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RECENTLY, a Public Interest Litigation was filed at the Delhi High Court demanding a review of the status of private investigators and detective agencies in India, while lobbying for the enactment of the long-pending Private Detective Agencies (Regulation) Bill of 2007. The bill was tabled in Parliament and was subject to review by a Parliamentary standing committee. However, it has not yet seen the light of the day. It beckons, therefore, a review of the status of private investigators in India, their legality and legitimacy in the country. I argue that private investigation agencies violate the fundamental foundations of Indian constitutions rooted through human rights.

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