A public interest litigation filed in the Delhi High Court has sought directions to make body-worn cameras mandatory for Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force personnel deployed to control crowds during protests, while also seeking a formal system to preserve and use the recorded footage as evidence.
The petition comes amid protests at Jantar Mantar and other parts of Delhi in recent months. It asks the court to direct the authorities to frame rules, legislation or a standard operating procedure requiring police and RAF personnel deployed for crowd control to wear body cameras.
The petition also seeks a comprehensive framework for handling footage recorded by the devices. This includes provisions for storing the recordings, preserving their authenticity, securing the material and allowing it to be used as evidence when required. The demands place the focus not only on the use of cameras but also on the chain of custody and reliability of the footage after it has been recorded.
The filing followed allegations arising from a protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, during which Delhi Police Assistant Commissioner of Police Vivek Bhagat was accused of sexually misbehaving with a woman journalist. The allegations were made during a demonstration against the Election Commission.
According to the report, three women journalists alleged sexual harassment by Delhi Police officers in connection with the protest. Police said complaints had been received and forwarded to the Crime Branch for further investigation. The allegations remain subject to that investigation.
Body-worn cameras are intended to create an on-record visual account of interactions between officers and members of the public. In protest situations, where police action, crowd behaviour and alleged misconduct can become contested, the handling of such recordings is as important as the recording itself. The petition therefore seeks procedures covering access, preservation and evidentiary use rather than only the deployment of equipment.
The request also raises an administrative question for agencies responsible for managing public demonstrations: how should recordings made during crowd-control operations be retained, protected and examined when complaints are filed? The petition asks the court to address that question through enforceable rules or operating procedures for personnel deployed in such situations.
The Delhi Police and RAF are the agencies identified in the petition for mandatory camera use during crowd-control deployments. The report does not state that the High Court has issued directions on the plea or that a body-camera policy has already been ordered. The next stage will depend on the court’s consideration of the petition and the response of the authorities concerned.
