Summary: The blog provides a summary of the Supreme Court’s recent judgment in Abhishek Baxi v. Union of India, where parents challenged the extensive and compulsory nature of collecting and retaining student information for the purpose of generation of Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (“APAAR”) ID. Among other findings, the Supreme Court emphasised that consent must be meaningful and informed. It also acknowledged the need for data protection at the time of collection and processing data, in light of the Digital Personal Data Protection (“DPDP”) laws, reinforcing the need for educational institutions to ensure compliance.