The Supreme Court has asked the Union Home Secretary to appear before it to assist in the implementation of CCTV cameras in police stations. The Court expressed dissatisfaction over delays and stressed proper monitoring and standardisation of CCTV systems across India.
The Supreme Court of India has asked the Union Home Secretary to appear before it on Tuesday to assist the Court in properly implementing the scheme for installation of CCTV cameras in police stations across the country. The Court passed this direction while hearing a suo motu case related to the lack of functional CCTV cameras in many police stations.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was hearing the matter on Monday and expressed concern about the slow progress and lack of proper implementation of earlier directions issued by the Court. The case relates to the installation, monitoring, and proper functioning of CCTV cameras in police stations to prevent human rights violations and improve transparency in policing.
During the hearing, the Court also discussed a recent media report about the removal of CCTV cameras installed by a Chinese company at several locations due to security concerns. Referring to this issue, Justice Mehta observed that the government itself had taken steps due to fears that data was being transferred outside the country.
The Court noted,
“Now, the government has issued instructions to remove particular cameras.”
However, Additional Solicitor General Raja Thakare, appearing for the Central Government, informed the Court that no formal order had yet been issued regarding the removal of those cameras.
Senior Advocate Siddhartha Dave, who is assisting the Court as an amicus curiae in the matter, informed the bench that most states have already installed CCTV cameras and are currently working on setting up centralised dashboards for monitoring. He also informed the Court that Kerala has one of the best systems in place. In response, Justice Vikram Nath remarked,
“If you say that Kerala has to best set up, why can’t it be followed up by other states?”
The Court said that this model should be discussed and possibly adopted by other states as well to ensure uniform implementation across the country. The Central Government also informed the Court that 60 percent of the funding for CCTV installation is provided by the Centre.
The bench was also informed that an Under Secretary-level officer had attended a meeting held earlier to discuss the feasibility, implementation framework, and other issues related to CCTV installation as directed by the Supreme Court. The judges expressed clear dissatisfaction over the presence of a junior officer at such an important meeting and said,
“We are passing orders and you are sending an under secretary level officer to attend the meeting?”
After this, the law officer assured the Court that a senior and high-level officer would attend future meetings. The Court then directed that the Union Home Secretary must personally appear before the Court in the next hearing to assist in effective implementation of the CCTV scheme. The Court ordered,
“Let this matter come up tomorrow again. The home secretary, Union of India, to remain present before this court so that appropriate assistance can be drawn from him in implementation of the scheme that is being monitored by this court,”
The Supreme Court has been continuously monitoring this issue. Earlier, on February 26, the Court had directed the Centre and other authorities to hold a meeting to discuss the feasibility, implementation methods, and creation of a centralised dashboard along with standardisation of CCTV infrastructure in police stations.
This case started after the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of a media report highlighting that many CCTV cameras installed in police stations were not functional. The Court has been treating this issue seriously because CCTV cameras are considered very important for preventing custodial violence and protecting human rights.
The Supreme Court had first passed directions in 2018 ordering the installation of CCTV cameras in all police stations across India to prevent human rights abuses. Later, in December 2020, the Court expanded its directions and ordered the installation of CCTV cameras and recording equipment in the offices of central investigating agencies such as the CBI, ED, and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The Court had also clearly directed that CCTV cameras must be installed at every police station covering all important areas including entry and exit points, main gates, lock-ups, corridors, lobby, reception areas, and even areas outside lock-up rooms to ensure that no area is left without surveillance.
Further, the Supreme Court had ordered that CCTV systems must have night vision capability and must record both audio and video. The Court also made it mandatory for the Centre, States, and Union Territories to purchase CCTV systems that can store data for at least one year so that footage can be used whenever required for investigation or in cases of complaints of custodial violence.
The matter will now be heard again, and the personal presence of the Union Home Secretary is expected to help the Court ensure proper and uniform implementation of CCTV installation and monitoring systems in police stations across India.
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