The Supreme Court ordered the Center on Wednesday to install closed-circuit television cameras and recording equipment in the offices of investigating agencies, including the CBI, the ED, and the National Investigative Agency (NIA), which conduct interrogations and have the power of arrest.
A bank headed by Judge RF Nariman said that states and Union Territories (UT) must ensure that CCTV cameras are installed in each and every police station, making them imperative in all entry and exit points, the front door, all the locks, all the corridors. , lobby and reception area, as well as areas outside the lock room.
The supreme court, which had previously ordered the installation of closed-circuit television cameras in police stations to check for human rights abuses, said that like most investigative agencies, including the Office of Narcotics Control, the Department Revenue Intelligence and the Serious Fraud Investigation Office carry out interrogations in their offices. CCTV will be “compulsorily installed” in all offices where the interrogations are conducted and the accused are kept.
He said that CCTV systems must be equipped with night vision and have both audio and video footage and it will be mandatory for the Center, the states and the UTs to acquire such a system that allows the storage of data for the maximum possible time, and in all case not less than one year.
“In addition, the Union of India also has instructions to install CCTV cameras and recording equipment in the offices of: Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigation Agency, Directorate of Enforcement, Office of Narcotics Control, Department of Revenue Intelligence, Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), any other body that conducts interrogations and has the power of arrest, ”said the court, also composed of Justices KM Joseph and Aniruddha Bose.
“As most of these agencies carry out interrogations in their office (s), CCTVs must be installed in all offices where said interrogation and detention of the accused takes place in the same way as it would in a police station, “said the bank in its order.
The highest court said that in September this year, it had implemented all states and UT in the matter to find out the exact position of the CCTV cameras in each police station, as well as the constitution of the Supervisory Committees in accordance with the order of April 3, 2018..
The higher court, while dealing with a matter related to torture in custody, had taken note in July this year of a 2017 case in which it had ordered the installation of CCTV cameras in all police stations. to verify human rights abuses, videography of crime scenes and the creation of a Central Oversight Committee and a panel of this type in all states and territories of the Union.
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