Delhi High Court Directs Chief Secretary To Address BJP’s Allegations Regarding Selective CCTV Installation By AAP Government
Last Updated on August 27, 2024 by Arti Kumari
On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court ordered the Delhi Chief Secretary to investigate and render a decision regarding the accusations made by Abhay Verma, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government was placing CCTV cameras in areas under the jurisdiction of governing party legislators.
The order was made in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition that Verma had filed, and it was signed by Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Tushar Rao Gedela. Within, two weeks, the Chief Secretary was instructed by the Court to consider the PIL as a representation and make a decision.
From the Lakshmi Nagar assembly constituency in Delhi, Verma is an MLA. He also serves as vice president of BJP Delhi. In his budget address for 2020–21, the then-Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, gave permission for the installation of 1.4 lakh CCTV cameras, he informed the court. However, the Delhi PWD Minister was given the authority to approve the CCTV installation.
In support of Verma, Advocate Satya Ranjan Swain said that CCTV cameras were only being installed in regions where politicians of the ruling party had been elected, indicating that the Public Works Department (PWD) was operating under a selective policy.
Santosh Kumar Tripathi, The Standing Counsel for the Delhi government, informed the court today that there is no bias and that the cameras were deployed after thorough surveys and input from all parties involved.
