CCTVs across Delhi: Set guidelines to prevent misuse, directs HC

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the police and the government to create a set of rules to control access to the feed from CCTV cameras, which will be installed across the city. The high court’s directive comes amid concerns about privacy and the possible misuse of footage from the cameras, which will be […]

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the police and the government to create a set of rules to control access to the feed from CCTV cameras, which will be installed across the city. The high court’s directive comes amid concerns about privacy and the possible misuse of footage from the cameras, which will be set up in an effort to enhance the security of women in the capital.

The bench of Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva issued the direction after the Delhi Police agreed with the government’s proposal to bear the cost of setting up CCTV cameras.

According to the proposal, these CCTV cameras will be set up in all the police stations and various areas in the 44 ‘red flag zones’, identified through a crime-mapping study conducted last year.

The bench has asked the government to file the guidelines regarding the use, storage, access and archiving of the data from the CCTVs by the next date of hearing on November 18.

The bench also urged the Centre to “ensure that life and liberty do not take a back-seat” to its austerity measures, after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that steps to increase Delhi Police personnel and bifurcate criminal investigation from law and order would entail an expenditure of Rs 483.56 crore per annum. The Finance Ministry had earlier informed the high court that proposals to increase police personnel would need to be “rationalised” due to the expenditure involved.

The court, which is hearing two PILs on the issue of safety of women following in the December 16 gangrape, has asked the government to “keep in mind” that “law and order in the city was abysmal.”

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