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Govt offices must provide CCTV footage: Info Panel

Obtaining CCTV footage falls under the Right to Information Act, and no department can refuse it unless it threatens security and sovereignty, stated Uttarakhand State Information Commissioner Yogesh Bhatt. This ruling came during a case where Bhatt fined the public information officer of Haridwar’s district supply office Rs 25,000 for not providing CCTV footage.

Roorkee resident Udayveer Singh requested CCTV recordings from the Haridwar office from 10 am to 3 pm on May 25. However, Public Information Officer Poonam Saini cited section 8(1)(g) of the RTI Act, claiming there was no obligation to provide the footage. Bhatt countered this by emphasizing the need to preserve the footage before denying the request, stating that refusal without preservation is unjustified.

Bhatt clarified that CCTV footage is an electronic record accessible in digital format and should not be denied unless it endangers the state’s sovereignty, security, or personal safety. He reiterated that there is no justification for withholding such footage from the applicant under the RTI without proper preservation.

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