Out of 774 Police Stations, Only 369 Have Working CCTV Cameras: State To Telangana High Court

The Telangana High Court has closed proceedings in a Public Interest Litigation on installation of CCTV cameras in police stations after taking note of the fact that a similar case is pending before the Supreme Court. 

“These proceedings are a duplication,” the division bench of Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N.Tukaramji said.

The PIL had been taken up by the court in wake of the sudden increase in number of custodial deaths and human right violations in police stations across the state. The court was monitoring the progress of installation of CCTV cameras in the police stations in an attempt to curb police brutality. In 2020, the Supreme Court had ordered that all police stations across the nation to have CCTVs installed.

The bench observed that CCTVs with 30 day backup in Police Stations are mandated by the Telangana Public Safety Measures Enforcement Act, 2013 and would not only deter police officers, but also provide important evidence in cases of misconduct.

The court was told that out of 774 police stations in the State of Telangana, 369 have working CCTV cameras at present. While 293 stations are working on installing the CCTVs, the leftover 103 stations were yet to get sanction for the purpose, the State said.

The State also told the court that an SLP is pending before the Supreme Court of India on the same issue of installation of CCTVs in police stations throughout the country, and that Telangana is actively taking part in those proceedings and has also filed a progress report there.

Title: Letter vs State of Telangana