The Supreme Court on Monday said it will pass its order on September 26 in a suo motu case concerning the absence of functional CCTV cameras in police stations across the country.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta observed that the matter goes to the heart of institutional oversight. “The issue is of oversight,” the bench remarked while hearing the case.
The apex court had on September 4 taken suo motu cognisance of a media report highlighting that 11 custodial deaths had occurred in Rajasthan within the past eight months, seven of which were reported from Udaipur division alone.
The court recalled that it had earlier, in 2018, directed the installation of CCTV cameras in police stations to prevent human rights violations. In December 2020, it went further, ordering the Union government to ensure CCTV cameras and recording equipment were installed in the offices of central investigative agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), and National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The 2020 directions also required states and Union Territories to guarantee comprehensive CCTV coverage in every police station, including entry and exit points, main gates, lock-ups, corridors, lobbies, receptions, and areas outside lock-up rooms, so that no segment of the premises would remain unmonitored.
