SC to hear on Monday suo motu case on non-functional CCTV cameras in police stations

The Supreme Court will hear a suo motu case on the failure to install and maintain CCTV cameras in police stations, following reports of custodial deaths and withheld surveillance footage in Rajasthan.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court is slated to hear on Monday a suo motu case registered over the lack of functional CCTV cameras in police stations across the country.

A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta took cognisance of a media report which revealed that 11 people had died in police custody in Rajasthan in the first eight months of 2025, seven of them in the Udaipur division alone.

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“We have come across a disturbing news article… The news article reveals that there have been 11 deaths in police custody in the state of Rajasthan in the past 8 months in the year 2025. Seven of these unfortunate incidents happened in the Udaipur division itself,” the Justice Nath-led Bench noted in its order passed on September 4.

The news report also pointed out that many remand rooms in police stations are outside the range of CCTV cameras, and that police often withhold footage citing technical faults, lack of storage, ongoing investigations, or legal restrictions.

In some cases, the police simply refused to share the footage or delayed its release.

“We, therefore, take suo motu cognisance of the aforesaid news article under the heading ‘In Re: Lack of functional CCTVs in Police Stations’ and direct the Registry to place these proceedings before Hon’ble the Chief Justice of India for appropriate follow-up action,” the Justice Nath-led Bench had ordered.

The Supreme Court has already mandated the installation of CCTV cameras in police stations to maintain transparency and to curb instances of custodial torture. It had directed that no part of a police station be left uncovered and that footage be preserved for at least 18 months in digital or network video recorders.

In 2023, the apex court had given the Centre and states a “last chance” to comply within three months. It had also made station house officers (SHOs) personally responsible for maintenance, data backup, and repair of CCTV systems.