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| (Photo: ECI website) |
New Delhi, 22 June 2025 — The Election Commission of India (ECI) has defended its policy of retaining polling station CCTV footage for 45 days, stating that demands for longer retention or public access are contrary to voter privacy laws and Supreme Court directives.
According to ECI sources, although the request for sharing poll-day footage may appear reasonable, it risks exposing voters and non-voters to discrimination, harassment or inducement. The footage can reveal the sequence and identity of electors entering polling stations, making it possible to identify who voted and who did not.
The ECI stated that this could violate the secrecy guaranteed under the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951 and the Supreme Court's 2013 judgment in People’s Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India, which recognised the right not to vote as part of democratic expression and upheld the importance of secrecy for both voters and abstainers.
The Commission likened the footage to Form 17A, a confidential document that records the order of voters and their identification details. By law, Form 17A can only be accessed under a court order, and ECI said video footage should be treated with the same level of protection.
Footage is retained for 45 days as this is the window for filing an election petition. If a petition is filed, the footage is preserved and provided to the court when requested. Beyond this period, ECI said retention would only make the footage vulnerable to misuse and malicious narratives.
The Commission emphasised that webcasting is an internal management tool and is not meant for public circulation. It added that some political groups are using this demand to create misleading narratives, and the underlying intent behind such requests should be carefully examined.
Upholding voter privacy and secrecy remains non-negotiable, according to the ECI, which reiterated that it will not compromise on these principles despite mounting political pressure.