New Delhi: JNU Teachers Association have threatened the university Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar of legal action for violating their right to privacy by video-recording his meeting with the teachers over missing student Najeeb Ahmed.
“Members of JNUTA met you and other university officials to discuss continued disappearance of Najeeb and the action taken in this regard. Personnel from JNU security office were recording the entire proceedings of the meeting. JNUTA was surprised at their presence and this act of recording proceedings without taking prior consent from us. Prior to this no meetings have been video-graphed to ensure that people speak as individuals freely since it encourages free discussion and resolution of issues,” a letter sent by the association to the VC said.
Citing the act to be a violation under various sections of Right to Privacy Act and Information Technology Act, the teachers have said that the university administration is legally liable to take prior written consent from all participants before making video recordings of private meetings.
“We demand that the unedited footage of the meeting be immediately shared with all participants and the university should adopt a data privacy policy clearly laying down purpose limitation, security of data, rights of access, restrictions on transfer of data,” JNUTA said.
“It may be noted that in event of the unauthorised disclosure of the video recording, we reserve the right to seek legal remedies,” it added.
Najeeb (27), a student of School of Biotechnology and a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, went missing on October 15 following an on-campus scuffle allegedly with the members of ABVP the night before. JNU students and teachers have been leading a movement alleging inaction on administration and Delhi Police’s part in tracing the missing student.