CCTV cameras can’t be installed sans consent of all occupants of house: SC

Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras cannot be installed in a house without the consent of all occupants, the Supreme Court has said.

A Bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Manmohan refused to interfere with the Calcutta High Court’s verdict against installation of CCTV cameras sans the consent of all occupants of a house in view of privacy concerns.

“We are not inclined to interfere with the impugned judgment and order of the High Court; hence, the special leave petition is dismissed. Pending application(s), if any, shall stand disposed of,” the Bench said in its May 9 order, dismissing a Special Leave Petition against the high court’s judgment.

In a landmark verdict, a nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court had on August 24, 2017, declared right to privacy a fundamental right under the Constitution, saying it was “the constitutional core of human dignity”.

The top court had said, “The right to privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 and as a part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III (Fundamental Rights Chapter) of the Constitution.”

The case related to a dispute between two brothers as one brother objected to the other installing CCTV cameras in the residential portion of their shared house to keep a vigil on the precious collections and for the protection and security of valuable property and rare antique pieces without his consent.

In its February 2025 verdict, the high court held that installing CCTV cameras inside the residential portion without the consent of the co-occupants or co-trustees amounted to violation of their right to privacy and adversely affected their unbridled right to enjoy his property with dignity.

“The dignity, autonomy and identity of an individual shall be respected and cannot be violated in any condition. The right to privacy is also recognised as a fundamental right in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This right is fundamental to protect the inner sphere of the individual,” the high court had said, ordering removal of 5 CCTV cameras installed in the common corridor/passage and hall room, and those focused on the residential portion of the building.

India