EC cites privacy, calls Rahul Gandhi’s CCTV footage demand ‘politically motivated’

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has rejected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s demand for public release of CCTV footage from Maharashtra polling booths, citing legal provisions and voter privacy concerns. The Commission said the footage is meant only for internal monitoring purposes and cannot be made public as it could lead to voter profiling and intimidation.

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, had earlier accused the ECI of "deleting evidence" by ordering the destruction of election-related CCTV, webcasting, and video footage after 45 days if no legal challenge is made. In a post on X, Gandhi wrote, “Election photos and videos? Now they will be deleted in 45 days, not 1 year. The one who was supposed to provide answers is the one deleting the evidence.”

The ECI responded that sharing polling booth footage would violate provisions under the Representation of the People Act and Supreme Court directives. According to ECI sources, “Sharing of the footage, which would enable easy identification of the electors by any group or an individual, would leave both the elector who has voted and the elector who has not voted vulnerable to pressure, discrimination and intimidation by anti-social elements.”

The Commission clarified that video footage is considered similar to Form 17A, which records voter attendance and is protected by law. It further stated that unauthorised disclosure of such material could lead to legal consequences, including jail or fines, under the Representation of the People Act.

Rahul Gandhi had demanded that the Commission release post-5 pm polling booth CCTV footage from Maharashtra and publish consolidated, machine-readable voter rolls for the 2024 Lok Sabha and state assembly elections. The Commission said that recent misuse of such footage on social media by non-contestants had prompted a review of the retention period for such content, reducing it to 45 days if no court case is filed.