8 months ago
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The Supreme Court connected Friday (September 26, 2025) sought a elaborate relationship from the Rajasthan authorities connected the installation and functioning of CCTV cameras crossed constabulary stations successful the State.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was proceeding a suo motu lawsuit registered earlier this month, pursuing a paper study that had flagged 11 custodial deaths successful Rajasthan successful the archetypal 8 months of 2025, 7 of which occurred successful Udaipur. The study had further alleged that CCTV footage was often withheld by the constabulary connected “frivolous grounds” specified arsenic malfunctioning equipment, inadequate storage, oregon confidentiality.
The tribunal stressed that non-functional cameras and the nonaccomplishment to sphere recordings amounted to a breach of its 2020 ruling successful Paramvir Singh Saini vs Baljit Singh, which had directed the Centre to guarantee CCTV sum successful each constabulary stations arsenic a safeguard against custodial torture. It accordingly asked the State’s Additional Advocate-General to respond to a acceptable of circumstantial queries.
Barrage of questions
The State has been asked to supply information connected the fig of cameras successful each constabulary presumption and their method features, specified arsenic resolution, nighttime vision, tract of view, audio capture, and tamper-detection. It indispensable besides explicate however video information is stored and however agelong recordings are preserved.
The Bench further sought details connected however often cameras are serviced, the process followed erstwhile they interruption down, and whether astonishment inspections oregon forensic checks are carried retired to guarantee tamper-proofing. The State indispensable besides clarify the presumption of net connectivity successful constabulary stations, whether the systems are linked to a cardinal server oregon power room, and the bundle being used.
The tribunal besides asked whether modular operating procedures (SOPs) had been drawn up to bid officers successful handling CCTV footage. “Creation of SOPs for the grooming of officers regarding access, reappraisal and retention of video footage and regarding protocols for usage, escalation and tamper impervious protocols. Furthermore, accusation shall beryllium provided successful respect of grooming of the officers successful respect of information extortion laws and judicial admissibility of the video footage,” the bid said.
“The effect to the aforesaid queries shall beryllium filed positively wrong 2 weeks, supported by an affidavit of the Director General of Police, State of Rajasthan,” the Bench said and posted the substance for proceeding connected October 14.
In its 2020 judgment, the apex tribunal had directed each States and Union Territories to guarantee that CCTV cameras were installed successful each constabulary presumption astatine introduction and exit points, the main gate, lock-ups, corridors, lobbies, reception areas, and extracurricular lock-up rooms, truthful that nary portion of the premises was near uncovered.
“As astir of these agencies transportation retired interrogation successful their office(s), CCTVs shall beryllium compulsorily installed successful each offices wherever specified interrogation and holding of accused takes spot successful the aforesaid mode arsenic it would successful a constabulary station,” Justice Nariman, who authored the judgment, had ordered.
However, elder advocator Siddhartha Dave, who was appointed amicus curiae successful the 2020 case, had pointed to a “glaring fact” that the Centre, contempt overseeing aggregate investigative agencies, had failed to comply with the apex court’s directions.
While proceeding the substance connected September 15, the tribunal had said it was considering mounting up afloat automated power rooms to observe non-functional CCTV cameras successful constabulary stations. It had pointed retired that specified a strategy could forestall instances of constabulary deliberately switching disconnected cameras oregon erasing recordings.
