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ARTICLE · 17 SEPTEMBER 2026

Data Breach Response: Legal Steps Every Business Should Take

Mansukhlal Hiralal & Company
Mansukhlal Hiralal & Company
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Mansukhlal Hiralal & Company

Mansukhlal Hiralal & Company

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Indian businesses face a complex regulatory landscape when responding to data breaches, requiring coordination between technical containment, legal assessment, and multiple reporting obligations. Understanding the parallel timelines under CERT-In's six-hour cyber incident reporting and the DPDP Act's breach notification requirements is critical for compliance and risk management.

IndiaPrivacy
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A data breach can become a legal, financial and reputational crisis within hours. For Indian businesses, data breach response for businesses now requires more than technical containment. Organisations must assess the incident, preserve evidence, determine applicable reporting duties and coordinate legal, security and business teams. The regulatory landscape is also evolving. India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and the DPDP Rules, 2025 introduce a dedicated framework for personal data breaches, while CERT In continues to impose separate cyber incident reporting obligations.

A strong response therefore starts before an incident occurs. Businesses need a tested response plan, clear responsibilities, reliable logs and a process for making fast legal decisions.

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The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

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