"Why No CCTV Cameras In Police Stations?" Supreme Court's Question To Rajasthan

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked tough questions about the lack of CCTV cameras in interrogation rooms of police stations in Rajasthan. A bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta said these rooms were the 'main place' where cameras had to be present.

The court acknowledged the costs but said 'it is a question of human rights', and asked the state how, in the absence of CCTV cameras, it proposes to maintain oversight of police activities.

In that context the court suggested a third-party be involved in maintaining a centralised storage of feeds, not just from interrogation room cameras but also from those on the street.

"If a company like Infosys can handle the taxation system and Tata can handle passport services, then such an agency can be used to monitor CCTV feeds," the court observed.

On September 4 the court had taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that said 11 people died while in police custody in Rajasthan in the first eight months of the year.

Today it heard the submissions of senior advocate Siddhartha Dave, who was appointed as an amicus curiae in a separate matter in which the court passed an order in 2020 that directed all states to install CCTV cameras to cover all areas of a police station, except near bathrooms.

This was to include recording equipment at the offices of central investigating agencies, like the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Enforcement Directorate and the National Investigation Agency. Dave told the bench he had filed an updated report in this matter.

Dave pointed out 16 states and three union territories, and even the central government, had still not yet fully complied with the court's order. He also called for an oversight mechanism.

The court asked the central government and state administrations to file responses to the report placed by the amicus curiae and posted the matter for hearing on November 24