Supreme Court proceedings on Tuesday let the government proceed against 2,873 individuals identified by Delhi Police facial recognition software at the main Jantar Mantar protest site between July 20 and 26, following the quashing of all student exam leak protest FIRs. According to police records, official verification showed that at least 25 of these flagged individuals were actually incarcerated in Delhi prison complexes at the exact time the technology spotted them.
Police Facial Recognition System and Incarceration Discrepancies
The Delhi Police submitted an affidavit on August 17 detailing how the Facial Recognition System (FRS) matched individuals at the protest site with existing official databases. According to the affidavit, the system identified 2,402 people through the biometric database ‘Crime Kundli’ and 471 through other criminal records. However, an investigation into 205 individuals accused of murder, attempt to murder, and rape revealed that 17 murder suspects, four rape accused (including two in POCSO cases), and four individuals linked to attempt-to-murder charges were lodged in Tihar, Mandoli, and Rohini prison complexes when the FRS flagged them at Jantar Mantar.
These 25 incarcerated individuals were flagged across three days, with three identified on July 24, 21 on July 25, and one on July 26. Responding to a questionnaire, the Delhi Police stated that 2,873 individuals were spotted as prima facie having criminal antecedents, but emphasized that further verification remained pending.
Did You Know? According to police records, Yogesh alias Raju was identified by the facial recognition system on July 25 while imprisoned, and was separately linked to the high-profile murder of gym owner Nadir Shah in Greater Kailash-1 as a sharpshooter for gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Hashim Baba.
District-Wise Breakdown and Verification Protocols
Data from the police affidavit indicates that Delhi’s North district recorded the highest number of identified persons at 285, followed by Outer with 257, North West with 256, North East with 174, East with 173, and South West with 166. Additional units and districts listed included Railways, Shahdara, Central, South-East, West, Dwarka, South, Rohini, New Delhi, Crime Branch, IGI Airport, Metro, and the Special Cell.
According to the police affidavit, the facial recognition system places boxes around detected faces and compares them with official databases, though results do not constitute standalone proof of identity. The Delhi Police previously noted in a 2002 RTI response that a match was considered positive at an 80 percent accuracy rate, with performance varying based on camera angles, lighting, image quality, masks, and algorithms. The affidavit maintained that no actions are taken solely based upon FRS results, stating that field verification is always conducted against existing police records before taking action.
Frequently Asked Questions
What triggered the police verification exercise at Jantar Mantar?
The police scrutiny followed protests and subsequent clashes held between July 20 and 26 at Jantar Mantar regarding student exam leaks.
How many individuals were flagged by the facial recognition software?
According to the Delhi Police affidavit, the FRS identified 2,873 individuals who matched existing official police databases and the ‘Crime Kundli’ biometric system.
Were actions taken based solely on facial recognition matches?
No. The Delhi Police stated that facial recognition is only the first step, and any subsequent action requires field verification because the individual’s details are already in police records.
How will authorities balance the deployment of automated surveillance tools with the requirement for accurate field verification in future public demonstrations?
Related reading