Supreme Court Directs MHA To File Response On Status Of CCTVs In Police Stations; Seeks Response On Feasibility Of Integrating AI Tools
The Supreme Court was considering a matter emanating from a suo motu writ petition regarding the loss of lives in police custody in the State of Rajasthan and the issues relating to the procurement of the CCTV footage.
Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta, Supreme Court
While dealing with a matter concerning the lack of CCTVs in police stations, the Supreme Court has asked the Union of India through the Ministry of Home Affairs, as well as all States and Union Territories through their respective Principal Secretary, Home Department, to file their response on various aspects, including number of such cameras installed, storage mechanism and creation of SOPs.
The Apex Court has also sought a response on the feasibility of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools into the centralised dashboard or software system for real-time detection of camera tampering, malfunction, or any suspicious activity, including automated alert generation and predictive maintenance of the CCTV infrastructure.
The Apex Court was considering a matter emanating from a suo motu writ petition regarding the loss of lives in police custody in the State of Rajasthan and the issues relating to the procurement of the CCTV footage.
The Division Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta ordered, “Considering the universal nature of the issues involved and the fact that any further directions issued by this Court would require pan-India applicability, we deem it appropriate to direct the Union of India through the Ministry of Home Affairs, as well as all States and Union Territories through their respective Principal Secretary, Home Department, to file their response in these proceedings. There would be no requirement for a formal impleadment as all the above authorities are already on notice in Paramvir Singh Saini (supra) and are duly represented.”
Factual Background
A suo moto writ petition was registered pursuant to the cognizance taken by the Apex Court of a news report in ‘Dainik Bhaskar Newspaper, Rajasthan Edition’ wherein an incident was brought to light. It was mentioned therein that as many as 11 lives were lost in police custody in the state of Rajasthan in the first eight months of the year 2025, of which seven incidents occurred in the Udaipur Division. The efforts to procure CCTV footage from the police stations concerned proved futile because the information was denied. The non-functioning of the CCTV cameras/non-preservation of the video recording and its data, was in breach of the directions issued by the Apex Court. The Court had then asked for a response regarding the number of police stations in each district and the information on cameras installed in each police station alongwith other details. In compliance with the aforesaid order, the State of Rajasthan submitted its response, duly supported by an affidavit sworn by the Director General of Police, State of Rajasthan.
Reasoning
On a perusal of the aforementioned response, the Bench noted that the State of Rajasthan failed to ensure full compliance with the directions issued by the Apex Court in Paramvir Singh Saini v. Baljit Singh and Others (2021). It was noticed that 135 police stations within the State were yet to be equipped with CCTV cameras, and there were no CCTV cameras installed in the interrogation rooms of the police stations. “The administrative control over the Network Video Recorder (NVR) system, wherein the CCTV footage is stored, rests with the Station House Officer (SHO) of the respective police station. The SHO alone holds the credentials to view, playback, and download official copies of the recorded footage, as and when required”, it stated.
The Bench further found the existence of CCTV Cameras whose footage is recorded and stored by the installation company, i.e., M/s Telecommunication Consultants India Ltd. (TCIL). The footage of the said cameras is retained for a period of up to 45 days and could be officially obtained from the said company only, as and when required.
“The aforesaid anomalies reveal that despite the passage of considerable time since the pronouncement of the judgment in Paramvir Singh Saini (supra), the directions of this Court have not been implemented in their true spirit, thereby necessitating a broader consideration of the matter at the National level”, it stated.
The Bench thus ordered the Ministry of Home Affairs, as well as all States and Union Territories through their respective Principal Secretary, Home Department, to file their response in these proceedings. The Bench directed the authorities to file their respective responses to the queries raised in the order dated September 26, 2025. “The State of Rajasthan shall stand exempted from filing a fresh response, for the time being”, it added.
The Bench also asked the Union of India to furnish detailed responses to various queries, including the creation of a centralised dashboard or software system for the specific purpose of detecting and flagging any malfunction or tampering of CCTV cameras. Response has been sought on the feasibility of establishing district or taluka-wise control rooms, feasibility of installing Wi-Fi-enabled CCTV cameras in all police stations. The Bench also sought suggestions regarding the establishment of an oversight mechanism for the monitoring of a centralised dashboard or software system, ensuring minimal intervention by the police authorities, so as to maintain transparency.
“The response to the aforesaid queries shall be filed positively before the next date of hearing, i.e., 24th November, 2025, supported by an affidavit of the concerned officers”, it ordered.
Cause Title: In Re: Lack of Functional CCTVs in Police Stations (Case No.: Suo Moto Writ Petition (Civil) No. 7 of 2025)