NLS Faculty Seminar | ‘A Genealogy of Data Regulation in India’

Welcome to the second trimester of AY 2025-26! We begin with a presentation by Dr. Manpreet Singh Dhillon, Assistant Professor, Public Policy, at this week’s faculty seminar on his paper titled ‘A Genealogy of Data Regulation in India.’

Abstract

This paper employs a genealogical approach to trace the formation of data regulation in India, examining how shifting relations of power, knowledge, and governance have shaped the field. Through a close study of government reports, committee recommendations, legislative debates, and policy documents, it reconstructs the discontinuities and struggles over meaning, authority, and legitimacy that define data governance as a distinct domain in India’s political and economic history.