Supreme Court directs all state police stations to install CCTV cameras within a month

The Supreme Court has ordered the central government and state governments to install mandatory CCTV cameras in police stations and investigation agency offices within a month.

A bench led by Justice BR Gavai ordered the governments to submit their compliance affidavits by March 29 and warned that if they did not, it would be forced to take the necessary action against the officials in question.

The bench which also included Justices Vikram Nath and Sanjay Karol, stated on February 21, "If the directions are not complied with, we shall be compelled to take such steps as necessary against the Union home secretary, chief secretaries, and home secretaries of respective state governments."

In 2020, the top court ordered the installation of recording equipment and CCTV cameras at the offices of investigating agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Enforcement Directorate, and the National Investigation Agency, which have the authority to arrest and conduct interrogations.

Senior attorney Siddhartha Dave, who has been appointed amicus curiae (friend of the court) in the case, said that 25 states and union territories had not yet submitted compliance reports in accordance with the earlier directions, which had originally set a deadline of six weeks for installing CCTVs in police stations across the nation.

The Centre informed the court that by the end of next month, CCTVs would be installed at the CBI's headquarters and branch offices, as well as in all of the Narcotics Control Bureau, Serious Frauds Investigation Office, and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence offices.

Additionally, it stated that the procurement of CCTVs for NIA facilities had been approved, and the undertaking would be completed by the year's end.

It requested time until May for the Enforcement Directorate to install the remaining CCTVs. The Centre informed police stations in Delhi that there was a need for over 2,000 additional CCTVs and that 1,941 CCTVs needed to be upgraded at the moment.

In a case involving custodial torture, a bench led by Justice R. F. Nariman ordered the Centre to install recording and CCTV cameras in the offices of investigating agencies in December 2020.

It had instructed the states and territories to install CCTV cameras at each police station, as well as at all entry and exit points, the main gate, the lock-ups, corridors, lobby, and reception areas outside the lock-up rooms, to ensure that no area is left unprotected.

In passing the directive, the Supreme Court had considered a 2017 case in which it had mandated the establishment of a Central Oversight Committee, the installation of CCTV cameras in all police stations to monitor for violations of human rights, and the recording of crime scenes. It had directed the establishment of such a panel in each state and territory of the Union.

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