High Court Seeks Response on Disproportionate Biometric Data Collection

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday called for a response from the Centre and the Delhi Police over a petition challenging the allegedly "disproportionate" collection of personal and biometric data from individuals. The case was initiated by two students who claim that police overstepped legal boundaries following their peaceful protest at a university.

The petitioners contested the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act's provisions, highlighting issues such as the lack of differentiation between minor and severe offenses. They asserted that the law permits unwarranted interference with privacy rights and the potential for misuse by enabling the gathering of sensitive data without proper parameters.

The petition also raises concerns over the storage and potential dissemination of collected biometric data by the National Crime Records Bureau for up to 75 years. It argues that such practices contravene fundamental rights and unnecessarily broaden the scope of law enforcement's influence.