Delhi HC takes suo motu cognisance of secret filming incident at college fest

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of an incident where women students at Delhi University's Bharati College were secretly filmed in a washroom during a college fest organised by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

A division bench has initiated action regarding security breaches, especially concerning female attendees at college fests in the Delhi-NCR region.

The incident occurred on October 6, and the accused, a member of IIT Delhi's housekeeping staff, was identified from CCTV footage.

The court expressed concern about the potential misuse of the videos, including their circulation on social media platforms.

The court issued notices to Delhi University, IIT-Delhi, and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, seeking their response. It also granted two weeks for the Delhi Police to file a status report on the action taken against the accused.

The universities were directed to submit reports on their existing security policies for college festivals.

The court pointed out the need for discretion in the investigation to protect the anonymity of the women involved and to prevent the dissemination of photographs or videos by the accused on social media platforms.