The Supreme Court on Tuesday sharply criticised the Union and several state governments for continued non-compliance with its binding directions to install and maintain functional CCTV cameras in all police stations across the country. A bench of justice Vikram Nath and justice Sandeep Mehta, hearing the suo motu matter ‘In Re: Lack of Functional CCTVs in Police Stations’, says the Union government seemed to be taking the Court 'very lightly'.
The Court’s observations followed a media report revealing that 11 people had died in police custody in Rajasthan in the first eight months of 2025, with seven deaths in the Udaipur division alone. The bench says such incidents highlighted the urgent need for strict enforcement of CCTV norms to curb custodial torture and rights violations.
Senior counsel Sidharth Dave, appearing as amicus curiae, submitted a detailed compliance chart showing that most states had failed to adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) governing installation, maintenance and digital preservation of CCTV footage. Advocate Dave further pointed out that several central agencies, including the national investigation agency (NIA) and central bureau of investigation (CBI), had not earmarked dedicated budgets for CCTV infrastructure.
Taking stock of state-wise progress, the bench says Madhya Pradesh had emerged as a 'model state', with every police station linked to a centralised surveillance control room. However, the justices took strong exception to the Union government’s complete failure to file an affidavit or compliance report despite repeated directions.
“The Union is still lacking in compliance. The Union is taking the court very lightly. Why?” the Bench asked. When solicitor general Tushar Mehta assured that an affidavit would be filed, the Bench retorted that “not just an affidavit, but compliance” was required. “Now this country will not tolerate this blot,” the court remarked.
In its order, the apex court recorded that only 11 states and Union Territories (UTs) had submitted compliance affidavits so far. It granted a final three-week deadline, directing all remaining states and central investigative agencies to file their affidavits by 16 December 2025. Failure to comply, the bench warned, would require the personal presence of chief secretaries of defaulting states and heads of central agencies at the next hearing.
The Supreme Court has long mandated full CCTV coverage in police stations to ensure transparency and check custodial abuse. It had earlier directed that no part of any police station be left uncovered and that footage be preserved for at least 18 months using digital or network video recorders.
This issue has been under judicial scrutiny for several years. In 2023, the Court granted what it termed a 'last chance' to the Union and state governments to comply within three months, making station house officers personally accountable for maintenance, repair and data backup of CCTV systems.
The origins of the case trace back to December 2020, when the apex court first issued detailed instructions to all states, UTs and central agencies, requiring installation of night-vision CCTV cameras and storage mechanisms for at least 12 months of footage. In July 2021, the then minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai informed Parliament that the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) had issued comprehensive guidelines to ensure compliance.
Five years on, with fresh reports of custodial deaths and widespread administrative lapses, the Supreme Court’s latest admonition underscores the growing impatience of the judiciary with persistent inaction on a critical human rights safeguard.
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