Allahabad High Court rules CCTV footage cannot be provided via RTI

The Allahabad High Court's Lucknow Bench has ruled that CCTV footage cannot be directly provided to applicants through Right to Information (RTI) requests. The court clarified that such footage may contain sensitive information, which restricts its direct sharing under the provisions of the RTI Act, specifically citing Section 8(1)(g).

The ruling came during the disposal of a writ petition filed by Shobhit Kashyap, who had sought full CCTV footage via an RTI application and subsequently sought penalties and compensation for the alleged denial of information.

While direct access via RTI is restricted, the court noted that if an individual presents a complaint to a competent court or commission, those authorities have the power to direct the preservation of the footage. Such bodies may also summon the footage to facilitate investigations when necessary.