While writing the Aadhar judgement, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to accept the Justice Srikrishna Committee report on data protection.

The apex court told the attorney general KK Venugopal that court can't accept fresh submission as arguments have concluded and judgement is reserved.

Earlier, the high-level panel on data protection framework on July 27 submitted its report to the government, suggesting steps for safeguarding personal information, defining obligations of data processors as also rights of individuals, and mooting penalties for violation.

Headed by Justice B N Srikrishna, the panel handed the report to IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, wrapping up nearly one year of deliberations that touched upon sensitive and controversial issues.

The areas covered included consent, what comprises personal data including sensitive personal data, exemptions which can be granted, grounds for processing data, storage restrictions for personal data, individual rights and right to be forgotten.

Justice Srikrishna said privacy has become a burning issue and therefore, every effort has to be made to protect data at any cost.

He added that report straddles three aspects - citizens, the state and the industry.

He stated that this report is the first step and as technology changes, it may become necessary to fine tune the law keeping with the changes.

The report touches on variety of issues including consent, rights of children, data protection authority and right to recall data.

As far as data storage is concerned, the report identifies circumstances under which data has to be mandatorily stored in India and cases where it can be stored with mirroring provisions. The report asserts that critical data has to be stored in India.

The government had constituted the 10-member committee in July 2017 to recommend a framework for securing personal data in the increasingly digitised economy as also to address privacy concerns and build safeguards against data breaches.

The report submitted today assumes significance given that public and private sectors are collecting and using personal data on an unprecedented scale and for various purposes, and instances of unregulated and arbitrary use, especially that of personal data, have raised concerns about privacy and autonomy of an individual.