Delhi Police tells SC facial recognition used only to catch ‘criminals’

In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court late Monday, Delhi Police denied allegations of mass surveillance through facial recognition technology during last month’s student protests at Jantar Mantar.

The police said the system was not used to profile or monitor every person present at the protest and was limited to identifying individuals whose faces were already linked to serious criminal cases, the Indian Express reported.

In its counter-affidavit, Delhi Police said the Special Investigation Team constituted by the police commissioner would examine only those among 2,873 identified individuals who had previous records involving serious offences, including murder, attempted murder, dacoity, rape and offences under the POCSO Act. It said protesters without such criminal backgrounds would not face investigation.

The police further maintained that facial recognition was only an initial identification tool and that no action was taken solely on the basis of a match generated by the system. According to the affidavit, once a person was identified, officials carried out field verification to confirm both the individual’s identity and presence at the protest site before taking any further action.

Delhi Police also stated that the system did not collect or maintain profiles of peaceful protesters without criminal records and was not intended for indiscriminate surveillance or the collection of personal information. It added that police records used by the system contained information relating to persons accused of serious offences rather than minor violations such as traffic offences.