Supreme Court Reviews CCTV Installation In Police Stations Across States; Directs MHA To Coordinate On Pending Proposals

The Supreme Court on Monday took stock of the installation of CCTV cameras in police stations across States and directed the Union Home Ministry to continue coordinating with the Court-appointed Amicus on schemes and proposals awaiting approval.

The Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, A.G. Masih and Sandeep Mehta was hearing the suo motu proceedings concerning the installation and functioning of CCTV cameras in police stations across the country.

Senior Advocate Siddhartha Dave, assisting the Court as Amicus Curiae, submitted that the “only stumbling block” in implementing the CCTV installation scheme was the funding aspect. Dave sought permission to interact with the Union Home Secretary or his nominee regarding proposals pending from various States.

He submitted that instead of interacting with each State separately, the Union Home Secretary or an authorised officer could coordinate with him regarding the proposals pending for different States and whether the required sanctions would be granted.

“I have been telling them in various meetings, please clear [the proposals],” Dave submitted.

SC Directs MHA to coordinate with Amicus

Considering the request, the Supreme Court directed the Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, or his nominee, normally an officer of the rank of Additional Secretary, to continue interacting with Amicus Siddhartha Dave regarding schemes and proposals pending for different States.

The Court also directed Dave to file a status report before the next hearing.

The matter has been directed to be listed after two months, on December 7, 2026.

While taking stock of the status of CCTV installation in different States, the Bench recorded with respect to Jharkhand:

The proceedings are part of the Supreme Court's continuing monitoring of CCTV installation in police stations, an issue linked to transparency, accountability and safeguards against custodial abuse.

Earlier, in September, the Court had expressed concern over the lack of CCTV cameras in police stations in Jharkhand, with the Court being told that the State had not installed “not one CCTV camera” since 2020.

Background of the Case

In July, the Court had underscored that merely installing CCTV cameras would not suffice unless adequate maintenance mechanisms were put in place. "Now there are two things. One is the extension of the scheme and secondly for maintenance also. You don't provide maintenance and they will become defunct, so the AMC has to be there," Justice Mehta had observed.

Earlier, on April 28, the Court had directed that a meeting be convened on May 6 to examine the utilisation of funds allocated for installation of CCTV cameras in police stations across the country. “We are of the view that a meeting be convened by the amicus, as done earlier, in which the home secretary of the central government or his nominee not below the rank of joint or additional secretary and the home secretary of states/Union Territories will participate,” the Bench had observed.

On April 7, the Centre had assured the Court that all issues concerning installation of CCTVs would be resolved within two weeks. The assurance was given by Attorney General R. Venkataramani, who stated that the government was actively reviewing the situation. The proceedings arise from a suo motu case initiated by the top court over the lack of functional CCTV cameras in police stations, following a media report. The Court had also laid down detailed requirements, directing that CCTV systems cover all critical areas including entry and exit points, lock-ups, corridors and reception areas, and be equipped with night vision, audio-video recording, and storage capacity of at least one year.

Notably, in November 2025, the Bench had granted three weeks' time to the Union government and the states for filing compliance affidavit in the suo motu case initiated by the court on the issue of CCTVs in police stations. The Supreme Court had raised serious concerns over the lack of CCTV cameras in the interrogation rooms of police stations across Rajasthan, emphasizing the human rights implications of such a gap.

Previously, on September 26, the Court had directed that specific information on 12 key points be provided by all States and Union Territories within three weeks. The details required include status of CCTV installation, functionality, storage of footage, and monitoring mechanisms.

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.

“Based on Dainik Bhaskar, we are directing a suo motu PIL titled Lack of functional CCTVs in police stations, as 11 custodial deaths were reported in 2025 over the past 7–8 months,” Justice Nath had observed.

The Court’s intervention marked a significant step towards enforcing compliance with its earlier directions mandating CCTV installation in all police stations to ensure transparency and accountability. The 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."

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

Bench: Justice Vikram Nath, Justice AG Masih and Justice Sandeep Mehta

Hearing Date: September 21, 2026

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