CCTVs in Police Stations: Can SC Ruling Check Custodial Torture?

What does the current data on custodial torture show? Tune in!

The SC directed for the installation of CCTV cameras in all police stations and offices of central agencies including CBI, NIA, NCB and the ED.

(Photo: The Quint)

States have to install cameras with audio recording equipment at interrogation rooms, lock-ups, entries and exits of every police station – that’s what the Supreme Court said in a landmark judgment on 2 December.

And not just police stations, but also in offices of central agencies, including the CBI, the National Investigation Agency, the Narcotics Control Bureau and the Enforcement Directorate.

The footage recorded using these cameras, the SC bench said, could be requested by courts and the Human Rights Commissions while dealing with complaints against the police relating to custodial torture and custodial deaths.

This, the court said, was in keeping with Article 21 of the Constitution on the fundamental right to protection of life and personal liberty.

But will this judgment actually help checking human rights abuses in custody? What does the current data on custodial torture show, and what does this mean for any attempts like this move with the CCTVs? Tune in to The Big Story!