The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought the state government’s response to a lawsuit brought by the Delhi Parents Association challenging the installation of 150,000 surveillance cameras in government and private school classrooms and the distribution of live footage to unauthorized persons.

Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh released a memorandum to the Delhi government setting out the matter for further hearing until March 30.

In a 2020 complaint filed by lawyer Jai Dehadrai, the association sought to overturn 11 third-person decisions by the Delhi Cabinet.

The petition also seeks to overturn two circulars from the Department of Education (DoE) authorizing the installation of CCTV cameras in schools under the direct management of the Delhi government.

The association expressed concern about constitutional guarantees of student privacy and respect for their dignity, claiming that installing surveillance cameras would violate students’ privacy rights. The complaint states that installing such cameras without the consent of the students or their parents is a gross and direct violation of fundamental rights.

“In the absence of a data regime or other legal/regulatory framework to protect citizens’ data, the dual act of retrieving and storing children’s data on private computer servers is fraught with danger and thus constitutes a violation of fundamental privacy rights,” the plea argued.

The government’s decision violated not only their fundamental rights, but also the rights of the students they teach. Parents are deeply concerned about the safety and privacy of their wards, the petition said.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times