The India’s Supreme Court has ruled that citizens have a fundamental right to privacy, in a landmark judgement that came in awake of implications for the government’s vast biometric ID scheme, covering access to benefits, bank accounts and payment of taxes.

The judges ruled the right to privacy was “an intrinsic part of Article 21 that protects life and liberty”.

According to BBC world, “During the hearing of the case, the government’s lawyers had told the court that citizens did not have absolute right over their bodies which meant that people could be forced to give their biometrics. The petitioners had said this would help the authorities create a comprehensive profile of a person’s spending habits and expressed apprehension that this data could be misused by a government which does not believe in people’s right to privacy.”

Thursday’s ruling comes two days after the court said instant divorce, practiced among some Muslims in the country, was unconstitutional.