Archive · 6 Sep 2025
Supreme Court Addresses Custodial Deaths, CCTV Camera Compliance
Imagine the Supreme Court is like the head teacher of the country.
They noticed a problem: some people were dying while in police custody, and it's hard to know what happened.
The head teacher said police stations need cameras to record everything.
They said this a few years ago, but many police stations didn't follow the rules.
Now, the head teacher is stepping in to make sure everyone follows the rules.
They're looking into why police stations don't have cameras and want to stop anyone from hurting people.
This is to make sure everyone is treated fairly and that the police are doing their job right.
Supreme Court initiated a public interest case regarding lack of CCTV cameras in police stations.
The court's action follows a newspaper report on custodial deaths in Rajasthan.
The court had previously ordered CCTV installations in 2018 and 2020.
States have been slow to comply, with inadequate details in filed affidavits.
National Crime Records Bureau data indicates an average of 92 custodial deaths annually.
- Who
- Supreme Court of India
- What
- Took suo motu cognizance of custodial deaths and lack of CCTV camera compliance in police stations.
- When
- Initiated proceedings recently, referencing events since 2018.
- Where
- Police stations and investigative agencies across India.
- Why
- To address human rights abuses and non-compliance with court orders.
- Court Action
- Suo motu case initiated by Supreme Court
- Issue
- Lack of functional CCTV cameras in police stations
- Trigger
- Report of 11 custodial deaths in Rajasthan
- Previous Orders
- Installation of CCTV cameras in police stations and investigative agencies (2018, 2020)
- Storage Requirement
- Data storage for at least one year
- NCRB Data
- Average of 92 custodial deaths annually (2000-2022)