CPI(M) MP AA Rahim Moves Supreme Court Against Delhi Police's Use Of Facial Recognition Technology At Jantar Mantar Protests

New Delhi, July 29, 2026: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi Police's use of facial recognition technology (FRT) and biometric surveillance during the recent protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

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The petition has been filed by CPI(M) leader and Rajya Sabha MP A A Rahim, who has alleged that the surveillance violated the fundamental rights to privacy, free speech, and peaceful assembly guaranteed under Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution.

The plea, filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, relates to the youth-led protests organised by the online collective Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which had demanded the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over repeated question paper leaks. Pradhan resigned on July 25, following which the protests were called off, Live Law and Bar & Bench reported.

Privacy Concerns At Protests

The petition alleges that the Delhi Police deployed facial recognition systems, AI-enabled smart glasses, fingerprint identification tools, CCTV cameras, drones, and a Mobile Command and Control Vehicle to monitor protesters, journalists, and bystanders throughout the demonstrations. It claims these technologies were used without any statutory backing or published safeguards.

According to the petitioner, the police also used the National Crime Records Bureau's (NCRB) Abhigyan mobile fingerprint identification application to collect and process biometric data.

The plea alleges that facial images and fingerprints of thousands of protesters were matched against undisclosed databases without informing those being surveilled.

It further claims that authorities failed to disclose the purpose of the data collection, how long the data would be retained, or what safeguards were in place to protect it.

Rahim has argued that the Delhi Police carried out automated and algorithmic extraction of biometric identifiers and linked them with permanent national criminal databases despite having no legal authority to do so.

The petition contends that neither the Delhi Police's standing orders on protests nor the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022, authorises biometric surveillance of people attending peaceful civilian assemblies.

The petition also refers to an RTI response from the Delhi Police, claiming it confirms that no privacy impact assessment has ever been conducted for the use of facial recognition technology.

It further states that the police had earlier maintained that the technology was intended only for tracing missing persons and identifying the deceased.

Citing the Supreme Court's landmark judgment in K S Puttaswamy v Union of India (2017), the petitioner has argued that any restriction on privacy must satisfy the tests of legality, legitimate aim, and proportionality.

It contends that the use of facial recognition technology at peaceful protests does not meet these constitutional requirements and amounts to surveillance in a legal vacuum.

Private Firms Under Scanner

The plea also raises concerns over the role of private technology companies in the surveillance exercise. It claims that the Delhi Police used the Ikshana vehicle and AjnaLens smart spectacles for real-time facial recognition.

According to the petition, the Ikshana vehicle was supplied by Aditya Infotech Ltd under the CP Plus brand, while the smart spectacles were developed by Dimension NXG Pvt. Ltd. under the AjnaLens brand.

The petitioner has alleged that these private companies are closely involved in the sovereign function of policing and may have access to highly sensitive biometric data collected during the protests.

It claims that no data-processing or data-sharing agreements governing these arrangements have been disclosed to the public, raising concerns over transparency and accountability.

Relief Sought From Supreme Court

Seeking immediate relief, the petition has urged the Supreme Court to declare the surveillance unconstitutional and direct authorities to stop using facial recognition technology at peaceful protests until Parliament enacts a law regulating its use.

It has also sought directions to the Union government, Delhi Police, the NCRB, and the two private companies to disclose the technologies, databases, and vendor arrangements used during the surveillance.

The plea further seeks deletion of the biometric data of individuals not accused of any crime and the creation of a mechanism through which people can determine whether their data was collected and request its deletion.

It has also sought directions restraining private companies from retaining or using any biometric data collected during the protests and requiring them to permanently delete such information.

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A similar PIL filed by Students' Federation of India (SFI) leader Aishe Ghosh is currently pending before the Delhi High Court. In that case, the High Court recently sought the Centre's response on whether any standard operating procedure or guidelines govern the use of such surveillance at protest sites.

The Centre opposed the issuance of notice, stating that videography of protests at Jantar Mantar is routinely carried out to maintain law and order.

The present petition was filed through advocates Subhash Chandran K R, Ribhav Pande, Madhav Aggarwal, Anuka Bachawat, and Anirudh K P.

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