CCTV cameras in polling booths violate privacy of voters: Information Minister
Published:
2022-10-20 10:22:38 BdST
Update:
2024-05-19 15:32:33 BdST
Live Correspondent: According to legal practitioners and experts, it is a violation of the privacy of voters to monitor the voting process by installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in polling booths, Information, and Broadcasting Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud has said. "And, the Election Commission (EC) has interfered in the citizens' fundamental rights by doing so in Gaibandha-5 by-polls."
He made the remarks while talking to reporters during a meeting at his secretariat office in the capital on Wednesday afternoon.
The minister said: "I myself have seen much criticism over the matter on social media criticizing the matter."
"It's not my opinion. Rather, it's the opinions of people and legal experts that a secret room is a secret room. People will vote there in secret. It's their right. If surveillance cameras are installed there, then the rooms will no longer be secret rooms. This is the opinion of general people and law experts," he added.
If the Election Commission can watch people voting, then it will be a violation of a voter's privacy, he further said.
The Information Minister said: "CCTV cameras can be installed. But there is a lot of criticism about CCTV in secret rooms. Legal experts have said it will violate the rights of voters."
The use of CCTV cameras is a much-talked-about subject in the country now after the recent by-election to the Gaibandha-5 constituency, which the EC eventually canceled after observing massive irregularities developing around the voting through CCTV cameras from Dhaka.
During an opinion-sharing meeting with the Election Commission on Wednesday, former EC M Sakhawat Hossain suggested increasing the use of CCTVs, instead of using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at the next parliamentary elections.
"There is a lot of controversy over EVMs. It would be better to use CCTVs as much as possible where EVMs will be bought for 150 constituencies," Sakhawat said.
Dhaka, 19 October (campuslive24.com)//AZ
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