DPDP Glossary
Consent
A free, specific, informed, unconditional and unambiguous agreement, given by clear affirmative action, to process personal data for a specified purpose.
Sections 4 and 6
What it means
Under Section 4, personal data may be processed for a lawful purpose with the Data Principal’s consent, or for certain legitimate uses in Section 7. Section 6 sets consent’s qualities: free, specific, informed, unconditional and unambiguous, by clear affirmative action for a specified purpose. Every consent request must be accompanied or preceded by a Section 5 notice. Consent may be withdrawn as easily as it was given; withdrawal does not undo lawful processing already completed.
Worked example
A retailer that bundles marketing, analytics and account administration into one pre-ticked “Accept all” box is not capturing Section 6 consent. A purpose-specific affirmative choice after a clear notice — with an equally easy withdrawal path that actually stops promotional processing — matches the statutory design far better than silence or forced consent.
In practice
Treat consent as a lifecycle: notice → specified purpose → affirmative capture → durable record → honour in downstream systems → support withdrawal. Do not assume consent is always required — document when a Section 7 legitimate use applies instead. Keep website, app and offline channels consistent so the same purpose is not “consented” in one place and ignored in another.
Source
Sections 4 and 6 · Official text (PDF)
Educational summary based on the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and Rules, 2025. Not legal advice.