Iconic jurist who set ball rolling on privacy rights

Justice KS Puttaswamy, a civil rights icon, passed away at 98. His landmark 2017 Supreme Court ruling established privacy as a fundamental right in India.

Most people have their legacy cemented by their 91st birthday. Not justice KS Puttaswamy.

Retired justice KS Puttaswamy speaks during a press conference after the verdict of the Supreme Court on Aadhar card at his residence in Bengaluru, India, in September 2018. (Arijit Sen/HT Archive)

The retired Karnataka high court judge had already served on the bench with distinction, passed critical tax-related verdicts and then headed an array of tribunals by the time he turned 91 in February 2017.

But on August 24 that year, his legacy was carved in stone when the Supreme Court adjudicated in favour of his petition in connection with the Aadhaar scheme, holding that the right