# India Uses Facial Recognition Without a Dedicated Law 2026-08-15T08:56:38+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Facial recognition systems are being used in Indian public spaces despite the absence of a comprehensive law governing them, Bar and Bench reports. Systems scan faces at Howrah station, the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and across Ahmedabad’s safe-city network, often without informing people or seeking consent. The technology reportedly comes from Spanish firm Herta Security and operates on several thousand cameras nationwide. The Supreme Court’s 2017 privacy ruling in Justice KS Puttaswamy v. Union of India requires state action affecting privacy to have a legal basis, a legitimate aim, proportionality and safeguards against misuse. Bar and Bench argues that police manuals, executive orders and court directions meant for tracing missing children do not meet that test. The EU has sharply restricted real-time biometric identification in public spaces. ## Coverage - barandbench.com Tags: Ahmedabad, Ayodhya, Herta Security, Howrah station, Supreme Court Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/india-uses-facial-recognition-without-a-dedicated-law/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/india-uses-facial-recognition-without-a-dedicated-law/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.