Delhi High Court issues notice on plea challenging decision to install CCTV cameras in government schools

The Delhi High court issued notice to the Delhi government on a petition challenging the decision of the government to install CCTV cameras in government schools [Delhi Parents Association and Anr v. Government of NCT Delhi and Ors]. .Notice was issued by a division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh. .The Delhi Parents Association and the Government School Teachers Association have approached the High Court expressing concerns about the privacy of students and preservation of their dignity under Article 21, in light of the Delhi government's move.It is claimed that the installation of CCTV cameras and consequent live-streaming of footage to unauthorised persons would infringe upon the students' right to privacy..The petition states that the Cabinet decision to install cameras and use the footage from any class is violative of fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19 and 21.The students who will be captured on these cameras and their parents were not consulted before the move to install the cameras. The petitioners state that such consent cannot be a one time thing; rather it needs to be informed and specific..Moreover, it is stated that in light of the complete absence of a data protection regime or any other statutory/regulatory framework to protect citizens' data, the twin act of obtaining and then storing that data on private computers is fraught with danger and thus violative of fundamental rights. The said regulatory vacuum does not afford any opportunity to citizens to seek redressal of their grievance, the plea pointed out. .Teachers are deeply concerned about the psychological impact this will have on the overall development of pupils, as the respondents have not carried out any such assessment to find out the impact of such constant surveillance, it is mentioned. It is also contended that surveillance in classrooms will lead to a chilling effect on student-teacher interactions..On these grounds and others, the plea seeks quashing of two Cabinet decisions passed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in 2017 as well as two circulars issued by the Directorate of Education in 2019 authorising the installation of CCTV cameras in Delhi schools.The petition has been filed through Advocate Jai Dehadrai..The Supreme Court in 2019 refused to stay the installation of CCTV cameras and streaming of footage in schools administered by the Delhi government.The present petitioners had subsequently approached the apex court with another plea, which was dismissed as withdrawn after the Court granted them permission to approach the Delhi High Court, where a similar plea is pending.