CCTV Compliance Is Not Enough If Cameras Can Be Switched Off: Supreme Court Explores AI-Based Oversight Amid Rajasthan Custodial Deaths

“There has to be a control room with no human intervention... any camera goes off, there must be a flag”: Today, the Supreme Court of India reserved its order in the suo motu case relating to the lack of functional CCTV cameras in police stations across Rajasthan, following alarming reports of 11 custodial deaths in the State within just 8 months.

The Bench, comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta, voiced serious concern over the failure to implement earlier Court directives on CCTV surveillance in police stations. The judges emphasized that mere installation of cameras was insufficient, especially when officials retain the ability to manually switch them off at will, thus defeating the purpose of oversight.

The Court proposed the idea of automated, AI-driven monitoring to eliminate human manipulation. “Issue is of oversight. Today there may be a compliance affidavit, tomorrow officers may switch off cameras... we were thinking of a control room in which there is no human intervention... any camera goes off, there is a flag,” observed Justice Mehta during the proceedings.

He added, “There has to be inspection of police stations also by an independent agency... we can think of involving IIT to provide a mechanism so that CCTV footage is monitored without human intervention.”

“CCTV Monitoring Must Address Not Just Deaths, But Custodial Torture Too”: Court Urged to Ensure Real-Time Supervision

The matter arose when the Supreme Court, on September 4, took suo motu cognizance of a Dainik Bhaskar news report highlighting a disturbing pattern of police custodial deaths in Rajasthan — with 7 of the 11 deaths reported from the Udaipur Division alone. The Court had then directed that the article be treated as a suo motu writ petition, and the matter was placed before the Chief Justice for listing.

Quoting directly from the Bench’s earlier note:
“We have come across a disturbing news article in today’s newspaper 'Dainik Bhaskar, Rajasthan Edition', dated 4th September, 2025. The article reveals that there have been 11 deaths in police custody in the State of Rajasthan in the past 8 months in the year of 2025. 7 of these unfortunate incidents happened in the Udaipur Division itself.”

Following this, the Supreme Court formally registered the suo motu matter as SMW(C) No. 7/2025, titled In Re: Lack of Functional CCTVs in Police Stations.

“Even Central Investigating Agencies Haven’t Complied”: Supreme Court Informed Of Nationwide Lapses

Appearing for the matter, Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave pointed out that non-compliance with the Court’s directions is not restricted to State police. Central agencies including the CBI, NIA, and ED, functioning under the Union Government, have also failed to fully comply with the Court’s 2020 mandate in Paramvir Singh Saini v. Baljit Singh, which required the installation of functional CCTV cameras in every police station and interrogation room across the country.

Dave acknowledged that some States had made efforts, but stressed that installation alone is meaningless without mechanisms to ensure continued functionality and resistance to tampering. He urged the Court to design a system that addresses custodial torture and abuse, in addition to deaths.

The Court appeared receptive to these arguments and engaged in a broader discussion on the future of digital surveillance in police custody settings, proposing a technology-backed, tamper-proof framework where CCTV footage is automatically flagged and monitored through an independent, possibly institutional, mechanism.

“2020 Mandate Not Enough Without Enforcement”: Revisiting Paramvir Singh Saini v. Baljit Singh

It may be recalled that in December 2020, the Supreme Court in Paramvir Singh Saini v. Baljit Singh had mandated that all States and Union Territories install CCTV cameras in all police stations under their jurisdiction. That order also directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to oversee compliance. However, more than four years later, widespread non-compliance persists.

The current suo motu proceedings reflect the Court’s growing frustration with institutional evasion of judicial orders meant to ensure transparency and accountability in custodial settings.

The Supreme Court’s current focus appears to be not only on implementation, but sustainable and auditable operation of surveillance systems, suggesting that future compliance will need to go beyond mere affidavits and include automated oversight tools with public accountability mechanisms.

Case Title: IN RE: LACK OF FUNCTIONAL CCTVS IN POLICE STATIONS

Suo Motu Writ (Civil) No. 7 of 2025

Order Status: Reserved on September 15, 2025