The Supreme Court will hear a suo motu case on faulty CCTV systems in police stations after reports of 11 custodial deaths in Rajasthan. The court stressed accountability and ordered urgent follow-up action.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India is scheduled to hear on Monday a suo motu case concerning the non-functional CCTV cameras in police stations across the country. This action comes after the top court took note of a media report highlighting serious issues related to custodial deaths in Rajasthan.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta took cognisance of the report, which revealed that
“11 people had died in police custody in Rajasthan in the first eight months of 2025, seven of them in the Udaipur division alone.”
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Commenting on the report, the Justice Nath-led Bench said,
“”We have come across a disturbing news article. The news article reveals that there have been 11 deaths in police custody in the State of Rajasthan in the past 8 months in the year of 2025, 7 of these unfortunate incidents happened in the Udaipur Division itself.””
This observation was recorded in the order passed on September 4.
The media report also pointed out that many remand rooms in police stations are outside the range of CCTV cameras, and that police officers often withhold footage citing reasons such as
“technical faults, lack of storage, ongoing investigations or legal restrictions.”
In certain cases, the police have even
“simply refused to share the footage or delayed its release.”
Reacting to these revelations, the Supreme Court stated,
“”We, therefore, take suo motu cognizance of the aforesaid news article under the heading In Re: Lack of functional CCTVs in Police Stations’ and direct the Registry to place these proceedings before Hon’ble the Chief Justice of India for appropriate follow-up action,””
as ordered by the Justice Nath-led Bench.
The apex court had earlier mandated the installation of CCTV cameras in police stations to ensure transparency and prevent custodial torture.
It had directed that “no part of a police station be left uncovered” and that all footage must be preserved for at least 18 months in digital or network video recorders.
In 2023, the Supreme Court had given the Centre and state governments a “last chance” to comply within three months.
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The court had also made station house officers (SHOs) personally responsible for the
“maintenance, data backup and repair of CCTV systems.”
This suo motu action by the Supreme Court highlights the continuing concerns regarding custodial deaths and the lack of proper monitoring mechanisms in police stations, reaffirming the judiciary’s role in ensuring accountability and transparency in law enforcement.
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on Custodial Deaths
