The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition filed by CPI(M) MP AA Rahim challenging the police's use of biometric surveillance without legal basis at protest sites in Delhi. The case is linked to protests against alleged mismanagement of competitive examinations.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a writ petition filed by CPI(M) MP AA Rahim against the Delhi Police's unauthorized use of biometric surveillance at protest sites, specifically those held at Jantar Mantar. The petition alleges that the police did not have a clear legal basis for conducting such surveillance, as neither the Delhi Police standing orders governing protests nor the 2022 Criminal Procedure Identification Act authorize such measures. Advocate Menaka Guruswamy, appearing for Rahim, stated before the court that two private entities, Aditya Infotech Limited and Dimension NXG Private Limited, were used by the police in this process, with the data being processed and stored in violation of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act. The bench agreed to consider the matter. This development follows protests against the alleged mismanagement of several competitive examinations, including the undergraduate National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for admissions to medical courses, which culminated in the resignation of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dharmendra Pradhan as the Union education minister. The agitation was led by the Cockroach Janta Party political campaign and escalated on July 20, after police forcibly took activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on a three-week hunger strike, to hospital. The demonstrators' march to Parliament was met with a police crackdown, resulting in dozens of injuries as the police used lathis, tear gas shells, and pellet guns against the demonstrators.
Source:
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