Punjab & Haryana HC rejects plea seeking Police call data disclosure citing privacy

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has rejected a request for police call records, stating that such information should only be disclosed in exceptional cases. The court emphasized the importance of protecting privacy and ensuring that investigations are not disrupted.

Court’s decision on Privacy

The plea was filed by Jasmeet Singh, a resident of Tarn Taran, who is accused in a corruption case. He requested the court to preserve and disclose the call records of police officials involved in the investigation, claiming the data would prove his innocence. However, Justice Manjari Nehru Kaul dismissed the request, stating that the accused’s right to a fair trial should not violate others’ privacy or interfere with law enforcement operations.

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Lack of strong justification

The court pointed out that Singh did not provide specific or strong reasons to justify accessing the call records. His claims were vague, such as stating that the data might expose misconduct by the police. The court ruled that such broad and unproven claims cannot override privacy concerns. It also noted that revealing police call records could expose sensitive information, including details about secret informants.

In the end, the court upheld the trial court’s earlier decision and refused to interfere, stating that the petitioner had not shown how the call data was crucial for his defense.