Lack of functional CCTVs in police stations; Supreme Court takes suo motu action

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the lack of non-functional CCTV cameras in police stations. The court considered the recent spike in custodial deaths and the fact that many stations are still bereft of functional CCTV cameras.

The action of the bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was based on a news report published by Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar. The report states that there have been 11 custodial deaths in various stations in the country in the last 8 months.

In 2020, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court had ordered the installation of CCTV in all police stations and offices of central agencies. The directive was to have night vision and audio facilities.