CCTV Cameras At Police Stations Must Be Continuously Functional: Karnataka High Court Orders Audit
|The Karnataka High Court was informed that the CCTV system at the Whitefield Police Station remained operational only when mains electricity was supplied.
While observing that along with the physical installation of CCTV cameras at police stations, it has to be ensured that the system remains continuously functional and capable of recording at all times, the Karnataka High Court has asked the Additional Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary, Home Department, Director General and Inspector General of Police to examine the issue related to the functioning of such systems and the power backup facilities.
The High Court was informed that the CCTV system at the Whitefield Police Station remained operational only when mains electricity was supplied. In the event of a power failure, the CCTV system could continue to function only if it was supported by a working UPS.
The Single Bench of Justice Suraj Govindaraj held, “The respondent–Police cannot contend that they have complied with the directions issued by the Hon'ble Supreme Court merely because CCTV cameras have been installed in police stations. Compliance with those directions is not confined to the physical installation of CCTV cameras but extends to ensuring that the system remains continuously functional and capable of recording at all times. A CCTV system without an effective and reliable power backup is liable to become inoperative during power failures, thereby defeating the very purpose for which such cameras were mandated. Therefore, unless adequate backup power is provided and maintained so as to ensure uninterrupted operation of the CCTV system, the installation of CCTV cameras by itself cannot be regarded as compliance with the directions of the Hon'ble Supreme Court.”
“The Additional Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary, Home Department, and the Director General and Inspector General of Police shall personally examine this matter and ensure that a detailed enquiry is conducted”, it added.
Advocate G.B. Sharath Gowda represented the Respondent.
Submission
The Additional Government Advocate claimed that the UPS had remained non-functional for nearly eleven months, including on September 4, 2024, the date on which the alleged incident was stated to have occurred. It was contended that, in the absence of a functioning UPS during a power outage, the CCTV system would not have recorded the alleged incident.
Reasoning
The Bench refused to accept the aforesaid submission considering the fact that the CCTVs in all the Police Stations were directed to be installed by the Supreme Court in Shafhi Mohammad vs. State of Himachal Pradesh to monitor the activities in the police station and on account of various complaints having been received as regards atrocities etc., being committed in the police station.
“The very purpose of installing CCTV cameras in a police station is defeated if the system is allowed to remain non-functional during power outages. If the UPS meant to provide backup power remained defective for nearly eleven months, the Station House Officer could not have remained a passive spectator twiddling his thumbs. Equally, the supervisory officers at every higher level cannot escape responsibility by adopting a similar approach. Once it was brought to the notice of the concerned authorities that the UPS was not functioning, it was incumbent upon every officer responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the police station to take immediate steps to get repaired or replaced the UPS so that the CCTV system remained operational even during interruptions in the electricity supply. Failure to do so defeats the very object for which CCTV cameras were directed to be installed, namely, to ensure continuous surveillance, transparency, accountability, and preservation of evidence”, it stated.
On a perusal of the report setting out the details of the CCTV cameras and UPS systems installed in various police stations, the Bench noted that the same did not mention whether the installed UPS had sufficient capacity to ensure uninterrupted functioning of the CCTV system during power failures. It was also unclear whether the UPS dedicated to the CCTV system was independent of other electrical loads or whether it formed part of a common backup system serving the entire police station. “These deficiencies raise serious concerns regarding the adequacy of the backup infrastructure and the effectiveness of the CCTV systems intended to ensure continuous surveillance”, it added.
Thus, the Bench asked the Additional Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary, Home Department, and the Director General and Inspector General of Police to conduct a detailed enquiry and further laid down various aspects and parameters to be followed for the audit.
“The Principal Secretary and the Director General and Inspector General of Police shall be at liberty to examine any other issue connected with the installation, maintenance, operation, monitoring and preservation of CCTV systems in police stations so as to ensure full and effective compliance with the directions of the Hon'ble Supreme Court. The object of the enquiry shall not merely be to identify lapses in the present case but to ensure that such lapses do not occur in any police station in the State in future”, it ordered while relisting the matter on September 9, 2026.
Cause Title: V Shailaja v. The Commissioner (Case No.: WP 3602/2026)