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Court was dealing with a suo moto Public Interest Litigation (PIL) initiated by it in 2012 on the issue of the safety and security of women after the horrific December 16, 2012 gang-rape of a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus
The Delhi Police on Thursday informed the Delhi High Court that 6630 CCTV cameras have been installed in vulnerable areas of the national capital as part of measures to strengthen the safety of women.
“These CCTV cameras are monitored in five master control rooms”, the Delhi police told a division bench comprising of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula.
The division bench granted Delhi Police time to consider the proposal of installing panic buttons on poles on which these cameras are installed for helping women in distress.
The court was hearing a suo moto Public Interest Litigation (PIL) initiated by it in 2012 on the issue of the safety and security of women after the horrific December 16, 2012, gang-rape of a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus. She succumbed to her injuries days later.
During the hearing, Advocate Meera Bhatia, the amicus curiae, suggested that panic buttons should be installed on poles having CCTV cameras so any woman in distress is able to alert the authorities monitoring the master control room immediately.
Counsel for the Delhi police said that the authorities will certainly consider the proposal and urged the court to grant him some time.
The bench granted the Delhi police four weeks and listed the matter for further hearing on October 6.
Earlier, in 2022 the court had issued directions to the police to take “immediate and urgent steps” to install CCTV cameras in vulnerable areas of the national capital, saying it will help curb crime and make women secure.
In March 2020, a division bench of Justice G.S Sistani and Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani directed the Delhi Police to take immediate action to install CCTV cameras in accordance with previous orders issued by the high court, as this would go a long way toward reducing crime and ensuring women's safety.
The division bench had noted that Standing Counsel for State Rahul Mehra pointed out that 6630 CCTV cameras which were to be installed by January 19, 2020, have not yet been installed, and further sought time up till March 28, 2021.
The bench had stated, “Although time is requested until March 28, 2021, we grant three months to begin the process of installing CCTV cameras so that the court can monitor the progress. After that, time would be extended based on the progress made.”
Case Title: Court on its own Motion v. Union of India Thr. Secretary Ministry of Home Affairs and Anr.
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