# Supreme Court to hear plea against facial recognition at protest 2026-08-13T05:52:19+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea challenging Delhi Police’s alleged use of facial recognition and other biometric surveillance during a student protest at Jantar Mantar. The petition, filed by Rajya Sabha MP AA Rahim, alleges that protesters, journalists and members of the public were monitored through CCTV cameras, drones and a mobile command vehicle. It claims biometric data was matched with permanent criminal databases without legal authorisation or a privacy impact assessment. The bench directed that the case be heard with related petitions. The plea seeks disclosure of the technologies and vendors involved, along with safeguards for access and deletion of data. In a Frontline interview, digital rights lawyer Apar Gupta said surveillance, censorship and restrictions on social media can deter people from exercising their right to protest. He also questioned facial recognition’s legal basis and accuracy. These allegations will now be tested in court. ## Coverage - frontline.thehindu.com - thefederal.com Tags: Delhi Police, digital surveillance, facial recognition, Gen Z protests, internet freedom, right to protest Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/apar-gupta-warns-digital-surveillance-chills-protest-rights/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/apar-gupta-warns-digital-surveillance-chills-protest-rights/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.