The Uttar Pradesh Information Commission has ruled that CCTV footage from hospitals cannot be shared with individuals under the Right to Information (RTI) Act unless it is part of a police investigation or disclosed under a court order, citing serious concerns over patient and public privacy.

The order was passed on January 21 by Information Commissioner Mohammad Nadeem while hearing an appeal filed by Kulwant Singh, who had sought CCTV footage from a government hospital in Bijnor district. The commission rejected the plea, holding that such disclosures could violate the privacy rights of multiple individuals captured in the footage.

In his observation, the commissioner noted that hospitals are sensitive public health institutions where hundreds of patients, their relatives, medical professionals, and staff move daily. CCTV recordings, he said, do not isolate a single individual but capture the activities of many others, making unrestricted access incompatible with privacy protections under the RTI Act.

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“A hospital is a public health institution where hundreds of patients, their relatives, medical professionals, and staff move around every day. CCTV footage does not capture only the appellant but also records the activities of many other individuals. This concerns their privacy, and unless there is a justified reason or larger public interest, the RTI Act does not permit the violation of anyone’s privacy,” the commissioner observed.

The commission clarified that CCTV footage may be disclosed only in specific circumstances, such as when it is required for a police investigation or when a competent court directs its release. In the absence of such legal backing or demonstrable public interest, hospitals are not obligated to provide surveillance footage to RTI applicants.

The ruling reinforces the balance between transparency and privacy under the RTI framework, particularly in healthcare settings, and sets a clear precedent for protecting sensitive personal information within public hospitals across Uttar Pradesh.

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