The Supreme Court expressed displeasure regarding the absence of functional CCTV in police stations nationwide while hearing a suo motu case.
A bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta reserved its verdict after observing widespread negligence.
The court clarified that this matter is not only about technical compliance but is related to transparency in police custody.
Judges highlighted concerns that even functioning cameras can also easily be switched off or diverted, undermining safeguards against custodial abuse.
They suggest independent inspections, control rooms without human interventions and immediate alerts whenever police station cameras are disabled on purpose.
The bench also discussed involving IIT experts to design technology enabling secure, tamper-proof monitoring of CCTV footage across states.
Senior advocate Siddharth Dave presented data under the Paramveer Singh Saini case showing widespread non-compliance, including central agencies like NIA, ED and CBI.
The court had said that the presence of CCTV cameras is mandatory to curb inhuman incidents in police custody.
The court had made it clear that no further delay will be tolerated in this matter.
Dave argued that many CCTVs installed are non-functional, of poor quality, with lagging audio clarity, and blurry vision.
The court recalled its 2020 directive mandating CCTV cameras with night vision across police stations and investigation agency offices.
The Supreme Court noted that 11 custodial deaths occurred recently in Rajasthan, highlighting the urgent necessity of reliable monitoring mechanisms.
Its purpose was to maintain transparency during custodial interrogation and to prevent any kind of human rights violation or police excesses.
CCTV footage provides many important pieces of evidence that can make a difference in a case.
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