Section 34 — DPDP Act, 2023
All sums realised by way of penalties imposed under this Act shall be credited to the Consolidated Fund of India.
Source: Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. Official text available at truconsent.io/resources/dpdp-act.pdf.
Section 34 answers a question that many Data Principals ask: 'Does the Board pay me if the company is found to have violated my rights?' The answer is no. All penalty money goes to the Government's Consolidated Fund — not to complainants. Data Principals have no right to a share of the penalty imposed on a Data Fiduciary. This is a significant difference from some consumer protection frameworks. For a financial remedy, a Data Principal would need to bring a separate civil claim — not a Board complaint.