HC directs police to preserve CCTV footage after advocates allege ill-treatment at station

The Telangana High Court has directed police to preserve and produce CCTV footage of a station after two advocates alleged they were prevented from recording an incident of ill-treatment of a civilian and were not allowed to leave.

By Our Legal Correspondent 

Hyderabad: Justice T. Madhavi Devi of the Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the police to preserve and produce CCTV footage of a police station after two advocates alleged that they were prevented from recording an incident involving the alleged ill-treatment of a civilian and were not allowed to leave the station. 

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The writ petition was moved by way of a lunch motion by advocates Fiza Shah and Shaik Aqeeb, who approached the High Court alleging that an incident occurred at a police station on September 22 when they had gone there for their professional work. 

According to the petitioners, while at the police station, they witnessed the police allegedly ill-treating a civilian. When they objected to the conduct, they attempted to record the incident on their mobile phones. They alleged that the police stopped them from recording the incident and prevented them from leaving the police station. 

The petitioners further alleged that when they attempted to lodge a complaint regarding the alleged ill-treatment, they were not permitted to do so. They subsequently sent the complaint by post on Wednesday and placed the postal receipt before the Court. 

The petitioners sought directions to the police to preserve the CCTV footage and other contemporaneous records, including the general diary entries, relating to the concerned police station, and to produce the same before the High Court. Appearing for the State, the Assistant Government Pleader for Home, on instructions, submitted that there had been an altercation between the petitioners and the police at the station. 

According to the State, the petitioners had visited the police station in connection with a case which did not concern them and had allegedly interfered with the matter. The Government counsel also informed the Court that the police had subsequently tendered an apology over the incident.

After hearing both sides, Justice Madhavi Devi directed the authorities to preserve the CCTV footage of the concerned police station between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. on September 22. 

The Court further directed that a copy of the CCTV footage be produced before it in a pen drive, along with a certificate authenticating the footage. The Court directed the concerned respondent to take immediate steps to ensure preservation of the footage. The matter has been posted to September 30 for further hearing.