CCTV system collapsed in police stations, Supreme Court took cognizance, sought answer from Home Secretary

• 20-30% CCTV cameras non-functional in many states
• Cases of custodial deaths raise concerns

New Delhi. The Supreme Court has taken a tough stance on the poor condition of CCTV surveillance system in police stations across the country. During the hearing held on April 7, 2026, the court found that a large number of CCTV cameras are either not working or the surveillance system is incomplete. Expressing displeasure over this, the court summoned the Union Home Secretary and directed him to appear personally in the next hearing. This hearing took place in front of the bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta.

The court clearly said that merely installing cameras is not enough, but it is mandatory for them to be functional. The court asked the Central Government why the CCTV system could not be implemented properly in many states, whereas this is a matter directly related to the fundamental rights of the citizens. During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General appearing for the Central Government said that there are problems due to some technical and administrative reasons and work is being done in this direction. However, the court did not seem satisfied with this reply and listed the matter for the next day, citing the presence of the Home Secretary as necessary.

In fact, the Supreme Court has already given clear instructions in 2020 that CCTV cameras and recording systems should be mandatorily installed in all police stations and investigative agencies like CBI, ED and NIA. Despite this, the latest situation shows that in many places this system is limited to paper only. According to the information placed before the court, in many states up to 20-30 percent of CCTV cameras are non-functional. At some places the cameras are broken and at some places there is no recording storage and backup system. Even the centralized dashboard for live monitoring in many police stations is not yet fully ready.

The matter became more serious when cases of custodial deaths in recent months raised concerns. Reports revealed that CCTV footage was not available in many incidents, which affected the investigation. On this basis, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognizance and started hearing on this issue. During the hearing, the court also commented that if some states can implement better systems, then why other states are not able to do so. The Court indicated that a uniform and effective model needs to be implemented across the country.

Experts believe that this problem is not just technical but is the result of lack of accountability. After installing the cameras, adequate attention was not paid to their regular monitoring and maintenance, due to which the entire system has been affected. At present, after the strictness of the Supreme Court, the pressure on the Central Government has increased. Now all eyes are on the next hearing, where the Home Secretary will have to clarify the situation before the court and tell what concrete steps will be taken to make the CCTV system fully functional.