Data Strategy Briefing — India Withdraws Personal Data Protection Bill

On 3 August 2022 India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) withdrew the Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill from Parliament, stating that a comprehensive framework would be reintroduced. The withdrawal paused anticipated localization, consent, and data fiduciary obligations, but signaled that a successor Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Bill would arrive with streamlined provisions.

What changed

• The PDP Bill, in development since 2019, was officially withdrawn, nullifying its near-term compliance timeline.
• MeitY announced plans for a new DPDP Bill to replace the PDP proposal, indicating changes to localization mandates, consent requirements, and enforcement structure.
• Regulators emphasized ongoing reliance on existing IT Act provisions during the legislative reset.

Why it matters

• Enterprises paused PDP-specific implementation but needed to maintain readiness for localization and consent controls likely to reappear in the DPDP Bill.
• Vendors handling Indian personal data had to reassess roadmap commitments and monitor for shifts in cross-border transfer rules in the upcoming bill.
• Policy and legal teams needed to refresh stakeholder engagement plans as MeitY opened consultations for the successor framework.

Action checklist

• Maintain inventories of data flows involving India and document current contractual safeguards for cross-border transfers.
• Track DPDP consultations and align product requirement documents with anticipated changes to consent, children's data, and localization obligations.
• Update internal communications to clarify that PDP-specific milestones are on hold but broader privacy governance remains in force under the IT Act.

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