Despite a Supreme Court mandate dating back to 2020, most states and Union Territories are yet to file compliance affidavits regarding the installation of CCTV cameras in police stations, a report submitted to the court by the amicus curiae has revealed.
Senior Advocate Siddhartha Dave submitted the report Tuesday in his capacity as the Amicus Curiae, or “friend of the court,” appointed to assist the bench with impartial analysis. The report was placed before a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta in the ongoing Paramvir Singh Saini case.
In its landmark 2020 judgment in the matter, the apex court directed the mandatory installation of CCTVs with night vision and audio recording in every police station across India to curb custodial torture and ensure transparency.
The report highlights that as of November 22, the Centre, 19 states, and seven UTs have failed to file their compliance affidavits pursuant to the court’s October order. The list of defaulters includes major jurisdictions such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Delhi.
Lack of compliance
According to the report, 13 states and five Union Territories had complied with the SC’s directions to make budgetary allocations and complete the installation of CCTV cameras in all police stations. These are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, and Uttarakhand, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.
On the other hand, the Centre, Haryana, and Jammu and Kashmir have failed both to allocate funds and comply with the prescribed timeline for installation. The remaining 14 states and two UTs have allocated funds but have failed to comply with the prescribed timeline for installing CCTV cameras in all police stations.
The report flags the lack of compliance by central investigating agencies. While agencies like the Narcotics Control Bureau and the Serious Fraud Investigation Office have complied with directions, the Union government has failed to allocate funds or provide timelines for installing cameras in the offices of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Story continues below this ad
Technical non-compliance remains a hurdle even where cameras are physically present. The amicus report flagged five specific instances – in Nagaland, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands – where the CCTV systems either explicitly lacked the mandatory “tamper detection” facility or the administration failed to clarify its availability. This feature is crucial to ensure footage is not manipulated by officials.
Among the affidavits that were filed, logistical gaps were evident. The Manipur government stated that while installation was complete in 78 police stations, cameras could not be installed in eight stations due to the “prevailing situation” and the inability of technical staff to travel to those stations. Meanwhile, states like Bihar and Jharkhand have sanctioned funds – Rs 280 crore and Rs 67 crore, respectively – but have failed to provide timelines for installing equipment in newly established police stations.
Taking note of these deficiencies, the Supreme Court on Tuesday granted a final opportunity of three weeks to the defaulting States and the Centre to file their affidavits. The bench warned that failure to comply would require the principal secretaries and directors of the respective agencies to appear in person at the next hearing on December 16.
