DPDPA | Digital Personal Data Protection Act India

Harsh Parekh is a cybersecurity and privacy leader with a strong focus on building practical, scalable, and business-relevant data protection ecosystems. Through DPDPAedu.org, he provides strategic direction to an education-first initiative designed to help organizations clearly understand and responsibly implement India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act. His leadership bridges regulation, technology, and real-world business needs, positioning privacy as a foundation for trust, governance, and long-term growth.

This document has been developed with the support of Team Securze, whose efforts span in-depth research, structured legal reference compilation, and meticulous documentation. The team worked closely to analyze statutory provisions, interpret regulatory guidance, and organize complex information into a clear, accessible, and practical format. Their contribution ensured that the content remains accurate, implementation-focused, and aligned with real-world organizational needs. By combining technical understanding with regulatory awareness, Team Securze played a key role in shaping this document into a reliable resource for professionals, institutions, and decision-makers navigating India’s data protection landscape.

Gokulavan Jayaraman is a highly respected cybersecurity, data privacy, and risk-management leader with over two decades of experience safeguarding large enterprises. His expertise spans information security, privacy governance, fraud risk management, business continuity, vendor risk, and building organisation-wide security maturity across NBFC, Manufacturing, BPO, KPO, and global service environments. With a strong command of regulatory frameworks, data-protection laws, and industry best practices, he has consistently enabled organisations to stay resilient, compliant, and operationally effective in a rapidly evolving threat landscape.

Gauri Saple is an experienced GRC and Cybersecurity Consultant with over more than a decade experience and expertise in building and strengthening governance, risk, and compliance frameworks across diverse IT and OT environments. She serves as Principal Consultant with multiple organisations, leading end-to-end implementations of ISMS, BCMS, and Privacy Programs (ISO 27001, 27701, 22301, 42001), conducting comprehensive ITGC and process control audits, SOC 2 readiness assessments, and regulatory compliance reviews aligned with SEBI, RBI, and the DPDP Act. Gauri has developed risk management methodologies, audit frameworks, control libraries, and assessment toolkits that help organisations operationalise governance and uplift their cybersecurity maturity. She has extensive experience working with financial institutions, fintech companies, SOC service providers, and industrial sectors - translating regulatory and security requirements into practical, measurable controls that enhance enterprise resilience and accountability.

Sundar is a fintech-focused cybersecurity and GRC leader, currently GRC Lead at FPL Technologies (OneCard), where he partners with CXOs to align security and privacy with business goals. He builds and uplifts programs across incident management, SOC/SIEM, cloud security, and cryptography, with hands-on experience implementing PCI DSS, ISO 27001, and RBI-aligned controls. Previously CISO/AVP at LivQuik and a long-time security leader at M2P Fintech, he is a frequent speaker and panelist on data protection and cyber resilience.

Swapnali Naik with over 23 years of extensive experience is a seasoned audit and compliance professional with deep expertise in ISO 9001, 20000, 27001, ITGC, SOC controls, Data Centre and customer audits, and enterprise risk management. She has been recognized by BSI auditors for excellence in streamlining audit processes, timely closure of findings, and driving stronger governance through risk-based internal controls and compliance frameworks.