The Delhi Police on Monday told the Delhi High Court that it is not carrying out surveillance of protesters at the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar, saying any recording at the site is only meant to maintain law and order. The submission came during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by former JNU Students’ Union president and CPI(M) leader Aishe Ghosh, who has challenged what she calls continuous and intrusive police monitoring of the protest, according to a Bar and Bench report
Police denies snooping: Appearing for the police, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said, “At Jantar Mantar, some or the other protest is going on. Every protest is always recorded. In this protest, as a matter of fact, hundreds of people are seen making videos and reels and making them viral. This is only for the purpose of law and order. There is no snooping. There is no surveillance.” He also described the case as “luxury litigation.”
The Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia asked the Centre whether it had framed any standard operating procedure (SOP) or guidelines for handling protests and hunger strikes, referring to the Supreme Court’s 2018 judgment in Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan v. Union of India. The Court sought a response on whether such guidelines exist and listed the matter for further hearing on Tuesday.
Background: The PIL relates to the CJP’s protest, which began on June 20 to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over repeated examination paper leaks.
What the PIL alleges: Ghosh has alleged that Delhi Police has been continuously photographing and filming protesters, including through a permanent surveillance tower at the protest site, without disclosing any legal authority or procedural safeguards. The petition says the police monitored routine activities such as eating, resting and seeking medical help. It also claims police personnel threatened student protesters that they would send their photographs to parents and educational institutions, discouraging them from participating in the protest. The petition further alleges that police personnel continued to photograph women protesters who remained in wet clothes during heavy rain because of inadequate shelter, calling it an intrusion into their privacy and dignity.
Questions over collected footage: During the hearing, Ghosh’s counsel questioned the legal basis for the recording and asked what would happen to the footage already collected. “The data they have collected since June 20. How will they dispose it of, how will it be protected? Is there a committee to see it? Can any police officer just be using it for any purpose?” the counsel asked.
The hearing came on the same day that mobile internet services were disrupted in parts of central Delhi around Jantar Mantar during a CJP protest march. Internet access was later restored at night…
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