Today, On 14th October, Supreme Court questioned the Rajasthan government over missing CCTV cameras in police station interrogation rooms, stressing that the interrogation room is the main place where cameras should be installed. The Court criticized lapses in surveillance and monitoring systems.
The Supreme Court, questioned the Rajasthan government regarding the absence of CCTV cameras in police station interrogation rooms.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta emphasized that the interrogation room is the main place where CCTV cameras should be installed.
The bench remarked,
“As per your affidavit, there is no camera in the interrogation room which is the main place where cameras have to be there,”
The court recognized that while installing CCTV cameras would incur costs, it is fundamentally a matter of human rights. It also inquired about the state’s plans for an oversight mechanism. This discussion arose during a suo motu hearing addressing the lack of operational CCTV systems in police stations.
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Earlier, On September 4, the apex court had taken suo motu cognizance of a media report revealing that 11 individuals died in police custody in Rajasthan within the first eight months of 2025, with seven incidents occurring in the Udaipur division.
Previously, In 2018, the Supreme Court mandated the installation of CCTV cameras in police stations to prevent human rights violations.
During Today’s hearing, the bench raised the question of involving an external agency in the oversight process, stating,
“The feed has to go to some centralised place or agency where there is an oversight.”
The court also considered submissions from senior advocate Siddhartha Dave, appointed as amicus curiae to assist in a separate matter where the Supreme Court had issued an order in December 2020.
This order had instructed the Centre to equip investigating agencies, including the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate, and the National Investigation Agency, with CCTV cameras and recording devices.
Dave informed the bench that he had submitted an updated report on the issue and emphasized the necessity of an oversight mechanism.
The bench referred to the affidavit submitted by Rajasthan in this suo motu case, noting the absence of CCTV cameras in police interrogation rooms.
It directed the Centre and other states to respond to the report provided by the amicus and scheduled the next hearing for November 24.
While addressing the suo motu matter on September 15, the apex court highlighted the need for oversight and proposed the establishment of a control room for monitoring CCTV feeds in police stations, with no human intervention involved.
In its order on September 26, the bench posed various questions to the Rajasthan government, asking for details about the number of CCTV cameras installed at each police station across the state.
The Supreme Court also inquired whether regular audits were conducted to ensure the functionality of these cameras and whether there were provisions for surprise inspections and forensic validation of tamper-proofing. It noted that the non-functioning of CCTV cameras or failure to preserve video recordings and data likely violated the directions issued in its December 2020 judgement.
The bench instructed the Additional Advocate General of Rajasthan to take notice and respond to the following queries:
- (i) the number of police stations in each district, and
- (ii) the number of cameras installed in each police station along with their placement details.
Additionally, the court sought specifications for the cameras, including resolution, night vision, field of view, audio capture, and tamper detection.
In December 2020, the Supreme Court mandated that states and union territories ensure CCTV cameras were installed in every police station, covering all entry and exit points, main gates, lock-ups, corridors, lobbies, receptions, and areas surrounding lock-up rooms to ensure complete surveillance.
Case Title: In Re: Lack of Functional CCTVs in Police Stations