Supreme Court Seeks Rajasthan Government’s Response on Non-Functional CCTV Cameras in Police Stations

The Supreme Court has initiated a suo motu case concerning the lack of functional CCTV cameras in police stations across Rajasthan. The bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta has directed the Rajasthan government to respond to 12 detailed questions regarding installation, maintenance, and monitoring of CCTV systems in police stations.

The Court noted that attempts to procure CCTV footage from Rajasthan police stations were unsuccessful due to "frivolous grounds" cited by authorities. It further observed that non-functioning and non-preservation of CCTV footage violates the Court’s earlier directions in Paramvir Singh Saini v. Baljit Singh.

The 12 Questions to Rajasthan Government

The Court has sought detailed information on:

1. Number of police stations in each district.

2. Number and placement of cameras in each police station.

3. Camera specifications like resolution, night vision, audio capture, and tamper detection.

4. Storage mechanisms and the period of video data preservation.

5. Frequency of maintenance activities.

6. Escalation and redressal process for camera malfunctions.

7. Internet connectivity status and integration with centralized servers or control rooms.

8. Software configuration and creation of a centralized dashboard.

9. SOPs and officer training on access, review, retention, tamper-proof protocols, data protection laws, and judicial admissibility.

10. Whether regular audits are conducted to ensure cameras’ functionality, along with audit reports.

11. Whether audits of logs and footage integrity are conducted.

12. Provision for surprise inspections and forensic validation of tamper-proofing.

The Director General of Police, Rajasthan has been ordered to file an affidavit addressing these within two weeks.

Background: Suo Motu Action Following Report on Custodial Deaths

The case was registered suo motu on September 4, 2025, following a report by Dainik Bhaskar detailing that around 11 deaths occurred in police custody in the last seven to eight months.

In December 2020, the Court in Paramvir Singh Saini v. Baljit Singh mandated the installation of CCTV cameras in all police stations nationwide. However, compliance has been patchy, with many cameras either not installed or defunct.

Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave Highlights Concerns

During the hearing, Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave emphasized that while some states have complied, others, including Union investigative agencies like ED, NIA, and CBI, have not adhered to the Court’s orders. He raised concerns about manual switching off of CCTV cameras in police stations and stressed that proper monitoring could help address custodial deaths, torture, and abuse.

Court Considers Independent and Automated CCTV Monitoring

Justice Mehta remarked on the issue of oversight, expressing concern that compliance affidavits may be rendered meaningless if officers switch off cameras at will. He proposed the idea of a control room with no human intervention that automatically flags when any camera goes offline. He also suggested inspections by an independent agency and involvement of institutions like IIT to design such monitoring mechanisms.

The bench has reserved orders while considering independent and tamper-proof monitoring systems to ensure CCTV cameras remain functional, addressing persistent problems even after Court directives.

Case Title: In Re Lack of Functional CCTVs in Police Stations