Delhi Police denies ‘intrusive surveillance’ of ‘Cockroach’ protest; videography for ‘law and order’

Police personnel gathered during supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) a protest march to demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged NEET exam irregularities, near Parliament House, in New Delhi on Monday (July 20, 2026). | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR The Delhi Police has denied carrying out intrusive surveillance of the ongoing Cockroach Janata Party’s protests at Jantar Mantar. It told the Delhi High Court on Monday (July 20, 2026) that videography at the site was undertaken solely to maintain law and order.Appearing for the Delhi Police, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, said protests are a regular feature at Jantar Mantar and that recording activities at the site was a standard practice.“At Jantar Mantar, some protest or another is always going on. These are always recorded. As a matter of fact, at this protest, hundreds of people made viral videos. This is only for the purpose of law and order. There is no snooping. There is no surveillance,” Mr. Mehta submitted.The submissions came during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Aishe Ghosh, challenging what she described as the Delhi Police’s “indiscriminate and continuous surveillance” of the Cockroach Janata Party’s ongoing agitation at Jantar Mantar.Protest guidelinesA Bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia referred to the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in 2018 while ruling on the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan case concerning regulation of protests. The court sought to know whether the Delhi Police had framed guidelines to comply with the directions of the apex court.The court will hear the case on Tuesday (July 21)In her petition, Ms. Ghosh said, “Police personnel stationed at the site routinely photograph and videograph the protesters, their activities, interactions, movements, and gatherings.”The petition further stated that a permanent surveillance tower equipped with cameras has been erected in the middle of the protest site, enabling round-the-clock monitoring and recording of all persons present at the site.Ms. Ghosh’s plea said the surveillance apparatus has been used as “an instrument of intimidation and deterrence against student protesters”.“On several occasions, police personnel threatened student participants by stating that photographs and videos taken of them at the protest site would be forwarded to their parents, guardians, and principals or authorities at their respective educational institutions,” the plea said.She said such threats have “created a pervasive atmosphere of fear and have deterred several students from attending the protest, associating themselves with the movement, or openly expressing their views”.The plea said surveillance has a “chilling effect upon the exercise of freedoms guaranteed under Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b) of the Constitution by deterring citizens from freely expressing dissent and participating in peaceful assemblies”. Published - July 20, 2026 08:46 pm IST