Bombay High Court has asked the Election Commission to respond to a petition demanding CCTV footage of Nagpur South-West seat won by CM Devendra Fadnavis in 2024. The plea was filed by Congress leader Prafulla Gudadhe after his electoral loss.
Nagpur: Today, On May 27, The Bombay High Court’s Nagpur bench has taken note of a legal petition filed by a Congress leader and has issued notices to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Maharashtra Chief Electoral Office, and the Nagpur District Collector.
The petition demands access to videography and CCTV footage of the Nagpur South-West Assembly constituency, the same seat from where Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was elected in the November 2024 elections.
This legal petition was filed by Congress member Prafulla Vinodrao Gudadhe, who had contested the election against Fadnavis but lost.
Gudadhe approached the High Court claiming that he needs the videography and CCTV footage from the polling booths in the Nagpur South-West constituency.
His main aim is to verify certain aspects related to the polling process, for which he believes the footage will be a crucial piece of evidence.
The court, after hearing his plea, formally issued notices on Tuesday (May 27) to all three authorities involved – the Election Commission of India, the Maharashtra Chief Electoral Office, and the Nagpur District Collector.
This step marks an important development in the case, as it legally obligates the mentioned authorities to respond to Gudadhe’s request.
The petitioner is seeking copies of both videography and CCTV recordings of the polling stations during the election in the constituency.
These visuals are expected to help him examine whether the election process was conducted fairly or if any irregularities occurred during polling or counting.
The demand for transparency in the election process is being made under the belief that citizens and candidates have a right to access such crucial information, especially when doubts are raised regarding the integrity of an election.
This case could potentially lead to a precedent where defeated candidates are granted the right to inspect CCTV and videography evidence from elections, which could help improve public trust in democratic processes.
As of now, the court has only issued notices and has not made any ruling on whether the footage will be released to the petitioner.
The responses of the Election Commission, the Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra, and the Nagpur Collector will play a key role in determining the future course of the case.
All eyes will now be on the court’s next hearing, as the case touches upon sensitive and important issues related to transparency, fairness, and accountability in Indian elections.
The matter is pending and further developments are awaited.
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