The Crossbill News Desk
CCTV footage recorded during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by the seven District Election Officers (DEOs) in Delhi has been destroyed, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has told the Delhi High Court.
The disclosure was made in response to a plea seeking access to polling station footage from across the country, filed by advocate Mehmood Pracha.
According to the Commission, its decision to erase the recordings followed a directive issued in June instructing state election officers to destroy CCTV, webcasting, and video footage of the election process after 45 days, provided no legal challenges were filed within that period. The move, the ECI had said, was intended to prevent the misuse of its electronic data and curb “malicious narratives.”
Justice Mini Pushkarna, who heard the matter, recorded the Election Commission’s statement, Live Law reported.
The court was informed that “as of today, the data as sought by the petitioner, i.e., the video/CCTV footage pertaining to the Lok Sabha Elections, 2024, is no longer in the custody of the DEOs in Delhi and already stands destroyed.”
In his petition, Pracha had sought a direction to the Election Commission to ensure that CCTV footage from polling stations across India was preserved and made available to the public. He also requested that no such data be destroyed while the matter was under judicial consideration.
Arguing before the court, Pracha alleged that the ECI’s June circular had been issued “solely to defeat his petition filed and to destroy the evidence.”
The Election Commission, however, countered that Pracha had failed to challenge the new directions in accordance with procedure.
“Noting the aforesaid, no orders can be passed by this Court in the present application, for the time being. Accordingly, the present application is disposed of,” the court said while closing the matter.
The issue of election footage has been a point of contention between the Commission and transparency advocates. Earlier in August, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar defended the ECI’s stance on voter privacy, arguing against making polling station footage public.
“Should anybody’s CCTV footage, including your mothers, daughters, daughters-in-law be made public?” he had asked during a press conference, underscoring the Commission’s privacy concerns.
The disclosure was made in response to a plea seeking access to polling station footage from across the country, filed by advocate Mehmood Pracha.
According to the Commission, its decision to erase the recordings followed a directive issued in June instructing state election officers to destroy CCTV, webcasting, and video footage of the election process after 45 days, provided no legal challenges were filed within that period. The move, the ECI had said, was intended to prevent the misuse of its electronic data and curb “malicious narratives.”
Justice Mini Pushkarna, who heard the matter, recorded the Election Commission’s statement, Live Law reported.
The court was informed that “as of today, the data as sought by the petitioner, i.e., the video/CCTV footage pertaining to the Lok Sabha Elections, 2024, is no longer in the custody of the DEOs in Delhi and already stands destroyed.”
In his petition, Pracha had sought a direction to the Election Commission to ensure that CCTV footage from polling stations across India was preserved and made available to the public. He also requested that no such data be destroyed while the matter was under judicial consideration.
Arguing before the court, Pracha alleged that the ECI’s June circular had been issued “solely to defeat his petition filed and to destroy the evidence.”
The Election Commission, however, countered that Pracha had failed to challenge the new directions in accordance with procedure.
“Noting the aforesaid, no orders can be passed by this Court in the present application, for the time being. Accordingly, the present application is disposed of,” the court said while closing the matter.
The issue of election footage has been a point of contention between the Commission and transparency advocates. Earlier in August, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar defended the ECI’s stance on voter privacy, arguing against making polling station footage public.
“Should anybody’s CCTV footage, including your mothers, daughters, daughters-in-law be made public?” he had asked during a press conference, underscoring the Commission’s privacy concerns.
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