The Gwalior bench of Madhya Pradesh high court on Friday issued notices to principal secretary (home) and senior police officers, including director general of police (DGP), on a petition filed by Vyapam scam whistle-blower Ashish Chaturvedi who alleged that round the clock camera surveillance is encroaching on his privacy.
DP Singh, lawyer representing Chaturvedi, said it was the first case related to privacy infringement after last month, in a landmark judgment, a nine-judge bench led by Chief Justice JS Khehar ruled that privacy is a fundamental right.
Singh said after hearing his arguments in the light of the SC’s ruling, Justice Anand Pathak issued notices to principal secretary (home) and DGP, Madhya Pradesh, IG police, Gwalior, and SP, Gwalior. “The Gwalior IG has been directed to appear in person,” he said.
Talking to HT, Ashish Chaturvedi said that following intelligence reports, police provided him security in 2014.
“But since January 25 this year, the cops providing security cover to me have been videographing all my activities day and night and following me everywhere with the camera. This has caused me tremendous mental agony,” he said.
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Chaturvedi said after SC’s ruling , he filed a petition on Wednesday. “I want to know why my privacy is being breached and who in the police establishment issued the written order, if any,” he said.
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Chaturvedi said after SC’s ruling , he filed a petition on Wednesday. “I want to know why my privacy is being breached and who in the police establishment issued the written order, if any,” he said.
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Chaturvedi said in the name of security, his privacy cannot be breached. “Following mysterious deaths of people linked to the scam, police provided me security. There have been two to three attempts on my life,” he said. However, Sangam Jain, government advocate, said Chaturvedi was put under surveillance for security reasons. “He has been alleging that he is not being provided proper cover. So he was put under surveillance,” he said.
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.
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