Non-Functional CCTVs in Police Stations: SC Reserves Orders in Suo Motu Case on Custodial Deaths
SC reserves orders in suo motu case on custodial deaths and non-functional CCTVs
The Supreme Court on Monday reserved its orders in a suo motu case concerning custodial deaths and the lack of functional CCTV cameras in police stations across Rajasthan.
The matter arose after the Court took cognizance of a news report highlighting that 11 people had died in police custody in the state within the last eight months.
The Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta heard the case.
Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, assisting the Court, submitted that while some states had complied with earlier directions on CCTV installation, others had failed to do so. “The Union has not complied, neither NIA, nor ED, nor CBI,” he pointed out, adding that custodial torture and abuse remain a serious concern beyond just deaths.
Justice Mehta stressed that the problem was not limited to affidavits of compliance but to real-time oversight. “The issue is of over sight. Today there may be compliance affidavit, tomorrow officers may switch off cameras. We were thinking of a control room without human intervention. If any camera goes off, it should raise a flag. There has to be inspection of police stations by an independent agency. We can even think of involving IIT to provide a mechanism so that CCTV footage is monitored without human intervention,” he observed.
The Bench refused to entertain an intervenor, clarifying: “If we require assistance, we will call you.”
Reserving its orders, the Court directed that the matter be listed next Monday (September 22) for pronouncement.
Notably, on September 4, the Apex Court had initiated a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) on the lack of functional CCTV cameras in police stations across the country, following media reports of 11 custodial deaths in 2025.
The Bench had taken note of a report published in Dainik Bhaskar highlighting the alarming rise in custodial deaths over the past seven to eight months.
The Dainik Bhaskar report stated, "There have been 11 deaths in police custody in the state within 8 months of 2025. 7 deaths have occurred in Udaipur division. In August, two bullion traders died in Kankroli police station of Rajsamand district and Rishabhdev police station of Udaipur district. Information was sought under RTI in all the cases."
The development came nearly five years after the Supreme Court, in a landmark 2020 judgment delivered by Justices Rohinton Fali Nariman, KM Joseph and Aniruddha Bose, had made CCTV installation in all police stations across the country mandatory. In that verdict, the Court had also directed the Union government to install CCTV cameras in the offices of agencies such as the CBI, NIA, ED, NCB, DRI and SFIO, where interrogation of accused persons is carried out. The Bench had further mandated that all CCTV systems must be equipped with night vision and include both audio and video recording. The 2020 judgment had underlined that in the event of custodial violence or death, the victims or their families could approach Human Rights Courts to secure CCTV footage, ensuring accountability.
Despite these directions, compliance has remained patchy, with authorities frequently citing non-functional cameras or missing footage when called upon to produce records in cases of custodial violence.
Case Title: In Re: Lack of Functional CCTVs in Police Stations
Hearing Date: September 15, 2025
Bench: Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta