The Allahabad High Court on Friday came down heavily on the Uttar Pradesh Police over the non-availability of CCTV footage from the PGI police station in Lucknow in a case involving alleged illegal detention. Expressing strong disapproval, the Court remarked that police officers cannot escape accountability by merely citing technical glitches.
A Division Bench comprising Justices Abdul Moin and Babita Rani issued a directive to the Principal Secretary (Home), Government of Uttar Pradesh, to file a personal affidavit explaining the circumstances under which the CCTV footage went missing. The Court has listed the matter for further hearing on February 18.
The case arises from a habeas corpus petition filed by the father of one Vivek Singh, who has alleged that his son was illegally detained by police officials at the PGI police station on November 7, 2025. The petition claims that CCTV footage from the police station is crucial to establish the facts surrounding the detention.
In response to the petition, the Police Commissioner of Lucknow submitted a personal affidavit claiming that the unavailability of the footage was due to a technical malfunction in the CCTV system.
The High Court rejected this explanation as insufficient and pointed to existing directives mandating the preservation of CCTV recordings. It observed that “as per the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court and the circular issued by the Director General of Police, CCTV footage from police stations must be preserved for a specific duration.”
The Court also noted that the Police Commissioner’s affidavit failed to mention the specific date on which the CCTV system stopped functioning or why a backup of the footage was not maintained. “An evasive stand of a technical glitch cannot absolve the police of its responsibility,” the bench observed.
Taking the matter seriously, the Court directed the Principal Secretary (Home) to personally file an affidavit, clearly explaining:
- The reason for the missing CCTV footage,
- The failure to preserve it as per binding guidelines, and
- Steps taken to ensure compliance with surveillance and data preservation norms at police stations.
The matter will now be taken up on February 18, when the Principal Secretary’s affidavit will be examined.
