Rahul Gandhi questions CCTV directive, EC immunity

New Delhi, Dec 9: Congress leader and Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday raised sharp questions over recent changes to election-related laws, including the destruction and limited accessibility of CCTV footage recorded during polls, The Hindustan Times reported.

Speaking during the debate on the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, Gandhi said the directive on CCTV recordings “is not a question of data; it is a question of stealing the elections.” He also questioned the panel that selects the Chief Election Commissioner and other ECs, the legal immunity granted to election commissioners, and the rule allowing CCTV footage to be destroyed 45 days after voting, reports The Hindustan Times.

Rahul Gandhi asked three questions of the Centre: why the Chief Justice of India was removed from the selection committee for EC appointments; why the Centre provided immunity to ECs for decisions taken during their tenure; and why the law on CCTV footage was changed to allow early destruction and restrict access.

He also placed four demands before the government: a machine-readable voter list for all parties a month before polls; withdrawal of the rule allowing destruction of CCTV recordings; full access for parties to examine EVM architecture; and repeal of the legal immunity granted to ECs. According to The Hindustan Times, the Election Commission has defended its June 2024 circular restricting access to poll-day video recordings, saying the footage could compromise voter privacy and expose electors to pressure or intimidation. The circular states that the recordings may only be viewed by a High Court hearing an election petition. The report also noted that under the 2023 law governing appointments to the poll body, the CEC and ECs are protected from civil or criminal proceedings for actions taken in the discharge of their duties, and can be removed only through processes similar to those for Supreme Court judges.