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Gokhale asks EC if voter photos shared with Delhi Police
Former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale has sought to know from the Election Commission of India and other agencies whether they shared their databases with Delhi Police for facial recognition during a students' protest at Jantar Mantar last month. Gokhale cited a 2020 RTI reply in which the EC admitted sharing the entire voter list with photos with Delhi Police for the Delhi riots investigation, despite its own rules prohibiting such sharing.
In a post on X, Gokhale noted that Delhi Police has admitted in the Supreme Court that facial recognition technology was used at the Jantar Mantar protest. He questioned where the police obtained the database of citizen photos for matching, and whether the EC, Aadhaar, Income Tax Department or Transport Department supplied data. He also asked how facial recognition can work on all citizens without a criminal record database.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, passed by Parliament, has not yet been fully notified, leaving a legal vacuum on how law enforcement can use biometric data. Gokhale's RTI points to a 2020 precedent where the EC shared electoral rolls despite its own prohibitions, raising questions about compliance with data protection norms. The Supreme Court is likely to examine the constitutional validity of facial recognition without explicit legal backing. The next hearing on the Jantar Mantar protest matter could set a precedent for police surveillance powers.
Source: deccanchronicle.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
