All Police Stations In Assam Now Have Functional CCTV Cameras: State To Gauhati High Court

The Assam Government on Wednesday informed the Gauhati High Court that installations of CCTV cameras at all Police Stations in the State of Assam have been completed and cameras are functional.

The division bench comprising the Chief Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice Susmita Phukan Khaund was further apprised that the recording storage capacity of the Police Stations is 01 month and for the Central Server, it is 01 year.

It is to be noted that on June 16, the Assam Government informed the Court that 100 police stations have been provided with CCTVs in Phase-I and in Phase-II, installation and commissioning of CCTVs has been done in 197 police stations.

Regarding the comprehensive database based on fingerprints/biometrics of every accused, the Court was informed that the process is being undertaken through the Central Project, i.e. National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) for which the State Finger Print Bureau (SFPB), CID Organization, Assam is the State Nodal Agency. About 50,017 fingerprints of arrested/convicted persons from Assam have been digitized and uploaded to the Central Server.

“We appreciate the steps so taken by the State of Assam,” the Court said reiterated that biometrics so collected should be assimilated in the ‘e-Prisons’ software as well.

The Advocate General of Arunachal Pradesh, B. D. Goswami placed on record a factual report before the Court which stated that the process is being undertaken in the State for preparation of the database of fingerprints/biometrics. However, the Court was further apprised that the software is yet to be developed and request has been made to the concerned department in this regard.

The Advocate General informed the Court that CCTVs have already been installed in 110 functional Police Stations of Arunachal Pradesh and regarding setting up of the Centrally located Control Room, the said Project/Plan is awaiting allocation of funds.

The Court has now impleaded the States of Nagaland and Mizoram in the present suo moto PIL.

The matter is listed again on October 18.

Case Title: X-X-X v. In Re the State of Arunachal Pradesh and 3 Ors.

Coram: The Chief Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice Susmita Phukan Khaund

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