Court takes suo motu note after 11 custodial deaths reported in Rajasthan in eight months
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said the issue is of oversight as the apex court reviews non-compliance with its 2018 and 2020 directions on CCTV installation in police stations and probe agencies.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday flagged the issue of “oversight” and discussed the idea of having a control room without human intervention to monitor CCTV camera feeds from police stations across the country. The bench suggested involving an IIT to develop a software solution to ensure feeds are monitored in one place using artificial intelligence, with no human monitoring required. If any camera goes offline, an alert could be sent immediately to the concerned legal services authority or oversight agency.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said it would pass an order on September 26 in the suo motu matter concerning the lack of functional CCTVs in police stations.
“The issue is of oversight,” the bench observed.
Justice Mehta explained: “What we were thinking of is a control room in which there is no human intervention. So all feeds are provided to the control room, and if any camera goes off, immediately there is a flag. That is the way this can be tackled. There is no other way.”
The court also heard submissions from senior advocate Siddhartha Dave, who was appointed amicus curiae in a related matter. He referred to the apex court’s December 2020 order directing the Centre to install CCTV cameras and recording equipment in the offices of investigating agencies, including the CBI, ED, and NIA.
Dave pointed out a “glaring fact,” stating that none of these central agencies had complied with the order. He added that some states had complied with the 2020 direction to ensure CCTV cameras were installed in each police station.
The bench cautioned: “Today there might be a compliance affidavit, but tomorrow there might be instances where police officers divert or switch off the cameras.”
On September 4, the apex court took suo motu cognisance of a media report highlighting 11 police custody deaths in Rajasthan over the past eight months, including seven in Udaipur.
The Supreme Court had first ordered the installation of CCTV cameras in police stations in 2018 to check human rights abuses. In its December 2020 order, it directed states and Union Territories to ensure CCTV cameras were installed at all police stations, covering entry and exit points, main gates, lock-ups, corridors, lobbies, receptions, and areas outside lock-up rooms so that no space was left uncovered.
The court further directed that CCTV systems must be equipped with night vision and provide both audio and video recordings. It also made it mandatory for the Centre, states, and UTs to procure systems with a minimum one-year data storage capacity.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
Next Story