Overview

• The bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta reserved its order and said it will issue directions on September 26.
• The Court is considering a centralized, fully automated control room that flags when cameras go offline, with possible IIT assistance to develop monitoring software.
• Independent physical inspections of police stations were proposed, with immediate reporting of non-operational cameras to legal services or oversight bodies.
• Senior advocate Siddharth Dave noted uneven compliance with prior orders, including non-implementation by central agencies such as the NIA, ED, and CBI.
• The suo motu case builds on 2018 and 2020 directives requiring audio-video CCTVs with night vision and long-term storage, after a report cited 11 custodial deaths in Rajasthan and routine withholding of footage.