The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up the Rajasthan government for failing to install CCTV cameras inside the interrogation rooms of police stations, calling it the “main place” where such surveillance is essential to safeguard human rights.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was hearing a suo motu case on the non-functional state of CCTV systems in police stations. “As per your affidavit, there is no camera in the interrogation room which is the main place where cameras have to be there,” the bench observed.
The court acknowledged that installing cameras involves expenditure but emphasised, “It is a question of human rights.”
The bench pressed the state to clarify how it plans to create an effective oversight mechanism. “The feed has to go to some centralised place or agency where there is an oversight,” it remarked, suggesting that an independent agency could be involved to monitor CCTV feeds.
The bench also sought responses from the Centre and all states to the latest report filed by senior advocate Siddhartha Dave, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae in a related matter concerning installation of CCTV cameras in investigating agencies. Dave highlighted the need for a robust oversight system to ensure accountability.
On September 4, the top court had taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that revealed 11 custodial deaths in Rajasthan in the first eight months of 2025, seven of which occurred in Udaipur division.
This is not the first time the court has intervened on the issue. In December 2020, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to ensure installation of CCTV cameras and recording equipment in the offices of central investigating agencies like the CBI, Enforcement Directorate and National Investigation Agency.
Earlier, in 2018, the court had also mandated that every police station must have CCTV cameras at all entry and exit points, main gates, lock-ups, corridors, lobbies, receptions, and outside lock-ups so that “no part is left uncovered.”
In its September 26 order, the bench asked the Rajasthan government to provide district-wise data on the number of CCTV cameras installed in each police station and their placement. It also questioned whether regular audits were being conducted to check camera functionality, and if there were mechanisms for surprise inspections and forensic validation to ensure tamper-proofing.
The court observed that non-functioning or non-preservation of CCTV recordings amounted to a breach of its 2020 directions. It directed the state to respond to specific queries, including details of camera specifications such as resolution, night vision capability, field of view, audio capture and tamper detection features.
The matter has been posted for further hearing on November 24.
