Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Delhi High Court that video-recording of the ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar over alleged examination irregularities is carried out for “law-and-order purposes” and not for “snooping”, as he defended the practice during hearings on a public interest litigation. The PIL, filed by former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union president Aishe Ghosh against the Centre and the Delhi Police, alleges “continuous, indiscriminate and intrusive surveillance” at the protest site.
Mehta told a bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia that demonstrations at Jantar Mantar are routinely filmed. “At Jantar Mantar, some or the other protest is going on, [and] it is always recorded…. This is only for law and order and safety. There is no snooping. There is no surveillance,” he submitted on behalf of the authorities.
The Solicitor General also pointed out that many attendees themselves record and circulate footage. “As a matter of fact, in this protest, daily hundreds of people are seen making video films and making reels and making them viral,” he said, suggesting public recording is widespread and not limited to official cameras.
The bench posted the PIL for further hearing on Tuesday and directed Mehta to inform the court whether the police have formulated any guidelines to regulate protests, as mandated by a Supreme Court judgment. The petitioners seek clarity and restrictions on what they describe as intrusive monitoring at a prominent public protest venue. (PTI)
Original Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/cjp-protest-july-20-2026-cockroach-janata-party-jantar-mantar-parliament-march-sonam-wangchuk/article71242448.ece
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Publish Date: 2026-07-21 04:10:00
