Rahul Gandhi Accuses EC of Evidence Destruction Over 45-Day CCTV Rule; Commission Cites Voter Privacy
New Delhi: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Saturday intensified his criticism of the Election Commission (EC), accusing the poll body of deliberately erasing critical evidence related to the 2024 general elections. His remarks came in response to the EC’s decision to destroy CCTV and webcasting footage from polling booths within 45 days of voting.
In a post on social media platform X, Gandhi said, “Voter list? Will not provide in machine-readable format. CCTV footage? Hidden by changing the law. Election photos and videos? Will destroy in 45 days. The one who should be answering is destroying the evidence. It’s clear — the match is fixed. And a fixed election is poison for democracy.”
The Election Commission defended its policy, saying public release of such footage would breach voter privacy and could enable coercion or discrimination. EC officials told PTI that under the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951 and Supreme Court directives, releasing such footage is legally restricted.
They emphasized that revealing who voted or didn’t vote in a particular booth might subject citizens to intimidation or targeted harassment. The footage is retained for 45 days, the window for filing election petitions. If a legal challenge arises, the footage is preserved and provided to the appropriate court.
The EC added that recent amendments—based on its own recommendations—limit public access to sensitive election materials like CCTV footage to prevent potential misuse or misinformation.
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