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Can You Record Police Officer on Duty ?
Can You Record Police Officer on Duty ? In today’s post, I am going to tell you whether you can record a police officer on duty or not. You must have often seen videos on social media where people record police officers on duty when they fine traffic challan or so. but the question here is Can You Record Police on Duty? you must know the laws regarding this matter.
There is no specific answer to the question Can You Record Police on Duty? there is some state in India which allows you to record police officers on duty but in some states, there are no clear laws regarding this. for example in Kerala.
According to Kerala police act 2011 Section 33(2).
No police officer should prevent any member of the public from lawfully making any audio or video or electronic record of any police action or activity carried out in a public or private place.
Likewise, there was a verdict given by the Kolkata high court that police officers cannot snatch or take your phone away from you if you record them on duty.
You should remember that if a police is doing any illegal activity like asking for a bribe then you can record a police on duty but if a police is just doing his duty you should not record him otherwise he may take action against you.
What actions can a police officer take against you if you are recording him?
If you record any police or government employee on duty he can file a case against you according to IPC section 186. IPC Section 186 states that you cannot disturb any public servant on duty deliberately or do any word or action which disturbs them on duty. So according to IPC section 186, a police officer can file a case against you because you are disturbing him on duty. if you are found guilty you may be fined or jailed. you must also remember that if any state clearly mentions that you can not record a police officer on duty then you should never record them.
check our recent post on 10 Important Laws everyone should know in India.
