Data Protection Bill referred to joint select panel following voice vote

Shashi Tharoor writes to LS speaker against move, says ruling party has shown brazen disregard for standing committee on IT

The Personal Data Protection Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, and referred to a Joint Select Committee following a voice vote. 

Introducing the Bill, Ravi Shankar Prasad, electronics and information technology minister, said, “Though a lot of discussion went into formulating the Bill, we want Parliament to discuss this too. Hence, we have decided that a Joint Select Committee (JSC) of both Houses of Parliament should look at it."

He was referring to the consultation process released last year after first draft of the Bill. Over 600 responses were received by the ministry on the Bill, but