The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the registration of a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) concerning the lack of functional CCTV cameras in police stations across the country. The move came after the court took cognisance of a media report highlighting custodial deaths and inadequate surveillance mechanisms.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta observed that despite earlier directives, many police stations still do not have properly functioning CCTV systems. Referring to the media report, the bench noted, “We are directing for registration of a suo motu public interest litigation titled ‘lack of functional CCTVs in police stations’ as it has been reported that there are about 11 deaths in the last seven-eight months of this year in police custody.”
The issue of CCTV installation in police stations is not new. In 2018, the apex court had ordered all states and Union Territories to ensure installation of cameras in police stations to safeguard against human rights abuses. Again, in December 2020, the court directed the Centre to extend this mandate to the offices of central investigating agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), and National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The 2020 order specifically required that CCTV cameras be installed at every police station covering all crucial areas including entry and exit points, main gates, lock-ups, corridors, lobbies, receptions, and areas outside lock-up rooms, ensuring no part was left uncovered. The court had also mandated that these systems must be equipped with night vision capability and provide both audio and video recording. Importantly, the systems were to allow storage of data for at least one year.
