CMO leaked data of Stree Suraksha beneficiaries: Ramesh

Kochi: Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Friday charged the chief minister's office (CMO) with "compromising" the privacy of thousands of women enrolled in the Sthree Suraksha Scheme, by leaking their data to a private agency for electoral purposes. Chennithala specifically named Seeram Sambasiva Rao, an officer on special duty (OSD) at the CMO, accusing him of violating established data protection norms. To bolster his claims, the Congress leader produced a letter dated Feb 7, 2026, which purportedly links the CMO to the unauthorized access of sensitive information.According to the allegations, the data breach involves a comprehensive range of personal identifiers, including name, mobile numbers, age and location (district, taluk and ward details) data. "The information was shared without the consent of the beneficiaries and handed over to a Mumbai-based private agency. This agency allegedly utilized the data to execute large-scale election campaigns and bulk messaging via social media platforms," he said."The state govt is directly responsible for this massive compromise of citizens' privacy," Chennithala stated, questioning the legal framework under which a private entity was granted access to govt-held data. The Sthree Suraksha Scheme, a social security initiative, is designed to empower women in the age group of 35 to 60 years, particularly the unemployed and those in vulnerable situations. It offers financial assistance, support services and protection against violence or exploitation and requires applicants to register via the K-SMART application.Terming the act as a "blatant case of data theft", Chennithala argued that the CMO is harvesting the data to create a targeted "mass communication vehicle" for the ruling LDF ahead of the upcoming assembly polls.The fresh allegations follow his earlier charge that personal data of govt employees and pensioners was sought by an officer on special duty in the CMO to circulate messages highlighting the state govt's achievements. The allegations from the veteran Congress leader coincide with sharp observations from the high court. On Tuesday, Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas remarked that bulk WhatsApp messages sent to govt employees and members of the judiciary via the CMO appeared to be a clear "intrusion into privacy".The court was hearing a petition alleging that phone numbers and email IDs were unlawfully extracted from the SPARK (Service and Payroll Administrative Repository for Kerala) portal, a primary database for govt employees' salaries and service records.The CMO is yet to provide a detailed rebuttal to the specific evidence presented by Chennithala.