2020 - 2026 | Indian Government continue to violate Supreme Court Orders over CCTV Installation across PAN India Police Stations
- Vineet Malik
- 37 minutes ago
- 3 min read
By Vineet Malik | April 9, 2026 | India
Despite, Supreme Court (SC) order ruled in 2020 to install CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) in all the Police Stations in India to enforce transparency and stop never ending incidents of custodial deaths, the Indian Government has miserably failed to implement the consecutive orders of the top court and custodial deaths continue to occur time and again
The SC on Tuesday initiated suo motu proceedings over non-functional CCTV cameras in most of the Police Stations across India.
11 custodial deaths in last 9 months could have been averted if CCTV were installed immediately after the SC ruling.
The matter was highlighted by citing different incidents of 11 custodial deaths during 9 months and violation of the landmark decision ruled by the SC vide Paramvir Singh vs. Baljit Singh in December 2020.
India recorded 170 custodial deaths in 2025 - 2026, according to data presented in Lok Sabha, with annual figures over the past five years crossed 175.
With an up-surge in custodial deaths in the given year, Article 21 of the Constitution is undermined and breached by the lawmakers and crime protection authorities.
Importance of CCTV in the Police Stations
The said ruling is considered significant from the public interest and human rights perspective to stop the abuse of authority by the Police and recurring incidents of custodial deaths across different Police Stations in India.
The SC double-bench led by Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta received a commitment from the Attorney General of India (AG) on behalf of Union Home Secretary, Government of India to sort out the impending compliance of the SC orders.
Out of 28 States and eight Union Territories in India, only three States were found to have fully complied with the SC directions.
Uttar Pradesh Police was found to have lacking basic facilities to even initiate installation of CCTV.
The SC bench observed clear lapses on the technological aspects and bureaucratic unwillingness towards non-compliance.
Furthermore, the bench questioned and representation an office of Under Secretary level against the SC directions to appoint a high level senior Committee along with Amicus (Friend of the Court) to resolve the said crucial issue on top most priority in the larger public interest.
The AG was made to tender a written apology to the top court through an undertaking.
Bureaucratic Unwillingness to implement Court Orders in India (Policy Paralysis)
Predominantly, a culture of inaction and systemic corruption causes inefficient governance and hinders development.
Crucial decisions are deliberately, willingly and knowingly delayed and stalled to cover-up corruption, protect errant Policemen, shield Police-Politicians nexus abetting the crime with zero accountability.
Trust of the common man from the Police has eroded on the premise of repetitive incidents of misconduct and their involvement in serious crimes such as murder, rape, dacoity, extortion, land grabbing, custodial deaths, corruption, implicating innocent people in false cases, illegal detention, fabricating evidence, staging encounters and more.
Custodial deaths are often underreported or presented as natural deaths comprising 40 percent illnesses and 29 percent suicides.
Despite, SC guidelines stated in DK Basu v. State of West Bengal judgment ruled in 1997 mandating specific procedures during arrest to prevent custodial torture, the incidents are continuously surging.
The Police Complaints Authorities remain weak with absence of dedicated torture prevention law, existing high undertrial overcrowded and poorly equipped prisons, wherein political interference in policing is observed.
Resistance to technology is often known to be a bottleneck for non-implementation of such orders passed by the Constitutional Courts. Technology has become the cover-up tool for the Authorities to escape from accountability and the clutches of law.
It remains to be seen, if the undertaking given by the AG on behalf of the Indian Government to the top court will yield any measurable results on the next date of hearing after 14 days.
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