End‑to‑End Encryption: Privacy’s Last Line or a Legal Blindspot?

End-to-End Encryption (E2EE) stands at the intersection of digital privacy, cybersecurity, and modern law enforcement. By ensuring that only communicating users can access message content, it creates a digital “vault” protecting intimate conversations from intermediaries, corporations, and unauthorised surveillance. Yet this same architecture presents a legal challenge when investigators seek traceability or access to communications in serious offences. This paper examines India’s constitutional and statutory framework, balancing privacy under Article 21 with legitimate State interests in security and investigation. It argues that privacy and security need not be adversaries, advocating targeted investigation, judicial oversight, metadata protection, and alternative investigative tools without weakening encryption itself.