Government to introduce AI facial recognition at major railway stations to track sex offenders
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The Union government has informed the Supreme Court that it plans to introduce artificial intelligence-based facial recognition systems at seven major railway stations to aid in combating crimes against women , according to a report by the Times of India.In addition to these stations, which include Mumbai CST and New Delhi, eight cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Lucknow — have already implemented safe city projects through local police and municipal bodies, according to the news report.In response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Supreme Court Women Lawyers' Association over the increasing number of crimes against women, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) submitted an affidavit outlining various measures. These include installing CCTV cameras equipped with facial recognition and automatic number plate recognition, smart street lighting, and the use of drones to monitor high-risk areas, the publication said.The MHA also informed the court that the number of offenders listed in the National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO) has now crossed 20 lakh. This database contains names, addresses, photographs, and fingerprint details of individuals involved in crimes such as rape, gangrape, eve teasing, stalking and child abuse. It is accessible to all police stations and law enforcement agencies via the Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS).The ministry added that the Integrated Emergency Response Management System (IERMS) is now active at 499 out of 983 major railway stations, providing round-the-clock security for women. The Konkan Railway Network has already installed 740 CCTV cameras at 67 stations, and plans are in place to expand surveillance with AI-powered facial recognition systems at seven key stations.However, senior advocate Mahalakshmi Pavani, representing the women lawyers' association, argued that more needs to be done. She pointed to National Crime Records Bureau data showing a rise in crimes against women from 58.8 per lakh in 2018 to 66.4 per lakh in 2022.In her rejoinder, Pavani said, 'In 2022, there were 23.66 lakh cases of crime against women pending trial, of which only 1.5 lakh were decided in 2022 and only 38,136 ended in conviction.'The association further stated, 'Introduction of technology-based projects like Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS), Crime Multi Agency Centre (Cr-MAC), NDSO, Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offenders (ITSSO), Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) and Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to improve and make the criminal justice system efficient are not making a big difference.'A bench led by Justice Surya Kant is expected to hear the matter on Monday.
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