Mumbai: Bombay High Court Bench of Justice SJ Kathawala and Milind Jadhav Instructions given to the Chief Secretary on 25 January Maharashtra To submit a report to the court prescribing the data of functional and non-functional CCTVs in all police stations of the State.
The report will also stipulate the period for storing the data recorded in the CCTV as well as the steps taken to keep the backup of the said data.
The HC asked the chief to follow the directions of the Supreme Court in letter and spirit for “not reporting the CCTVs” to install CCTV systems in all police stations and to maintain recordings and to take strict action against senior police inspectors in charge of police stations. instructed. are not working and not taking immediate steps to rectify the mistake due to which any CCTV of their police station has stopped working.”
The report will be submitted on February 15, 2022.
The HC was hearing a petition filed by SL Giri and another person in relation to a police station Nashik, The court was told that the CCTV there was not working for two months. When the petitioner challenged a notice received from Sinnar Police Station, Nashik as fabricated, the HC had sought some footage.
On January 24, the HC had prima facie held the January 8 notice to be fabricated.
On January 25, the HC asked for its query for CCTV “Like all other station-house officers, a stereotype reply was given that the CCTV cameras installed at Sinnar Police Station, Nashik are not working for the last two months. ”
“With regard to the repeated excuse given by the police officers manning the police stations in our State that the CCTV cameras are not working for a long time,” the HC said, adding that the SC had issued an order to all police officers in December 2020. A detailed order was passed to ensure CCTV in stations as part of the fundamental rights of citizens.
The HC said “regrettably” the SC directions are not followed and where CCTV systems were installed as per the SC order, it was “merely” as a form of compliance, but they were “deliberately either in order to serve that purpose”. was not properly maintained for fulfillment, or is deliberately kept non-functional, so that no evidence is available in any case, and no one is the wiser as to what happened in the police stations,” the HC observed.
The report will also stipulate the period for storing the data recorded in the CCTV as well as the steps taken to keep the backup of the said data.
The HC asked the chief to follow the directions of the Supreme Court in letter and spirit for “not reporting the CCTVs” to install CCTV systems in all police stations and to maintain recordings and to take strict action against senior police inspectors in charge of police stations. instructed. are not working and not taking immediate steps to rectify the mistake due to which any CCTV of their police station has stopped working.”
The report will be submitted on February 15, 2022.
The HC was hearing a petition filed by SL Giri and another person in relation to a police station Nashik, The court was told that the CCTV there was not working for two months. When the petitioner challenged a notice received from Sinnar Police Station, Nashik as fabricated, the HC had sought some footage.
On January 24, the HC had prima facie held the January 8 notice to be fabricated.
On January 25, the HC asked for its query for CCTV “Like all other station-house officers, a stereotype reply was given that the CCTV cameras installed at Sinnar Police Station, Nashik are not working for the last two months. ”
“With regard to the repeated excuse given by the police officers manning the police stations in our State that the CCTV cameras are not working for a long time,” the HC said, adding that the SC had issued an order to all police officers in December 2020. A detailed order was passed to ensure CCTV in stations as part of the fundamental rights of citizens.
The HC said “regrettably” the SC directions are not followed and where CCTV systems were installed as per the SC order, it was “merely” as a form of compliance, but they were “deliberately either in order to serve that purpose”. was not properly maintained for fulfillment, or is deliberately kept non-functional, so that no evidence is available in any case, and no one is the wiser as to what happened in the police stations,” the HC observed.
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