CCTV Cannot Be Installed Without Consent Of Person In Possession Of House: Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court has recently held that CCTV cameras cannot be installed on the premises of a house without the express consent of the person in possession of the house.

Justice Tirthankar Ghosh further held that in cases where cameras had been installed without the permission of the possessor, the occupant would be free to deactivate the said cameras in order to maintain their privacy.

The court was hearing the plea of the petitioner, who had stated that after becoming estranged from her husband, she had moved to another flat co-owned by them, to live separately. However, it was stated that she had found CCTV cameras in the flat, similar to the cameras in her matrimonial home as well, where she was allegedly physically and emotionally abused by her in-laws.

Counsel for the respondent argued that the flat in question was possessed by the respondent's sister and thus she was free to install the cameras as she deemed free.

However, Justice Ghosh held that allowing the presence of cameras in the home occupied by the petitioner would disturb her privacy, and thus she would be well within her rights to deactivate them.