Overview

• In a May 30 letter, the ECI directed state chief electoral officers to destroy CCTV, webcasting and video records of election processes 45 days after results if no election petition is filed.
• The commission described videography and photography as internal management tools and cited “selective and out-of-context” use of footage for spreading misinformation as grounds for the change.
• The instructions apply prospectively and match the statutory deadline for challenging election outcomes, so recordings are retained only until related petitions are resolved.
• Congress leader Nana Patole accused the commission of colluding with the Union government and has moved the Supreme Court to block the order.
• The move follows a December amendment to Rule 93 of the Conduct of Election Rules that excluded electronic footage from documents open to public inspection.