Compliance with Supreme Court Guidelines Ordered; Fact-Finding Report Demanded from Maharashtra Police
In a significant judgment, the Bombay High Court has issued directives aimed at enhancing the surveillance and security measures in police stations across Maharashtra. The court has mandated the State Administration to ensure the proper functioning of CCTV cameras, adequate hard disk capacities, and the preservation of data for at least one year. This order comes in compliance with the Supreme Court judgment in Paramvir Singh Saini v. Baljit Singh, which mandates the installation of CCTV cameras at all key police station locations.
The judgment was delivered by a division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ravindra V. Ghuge and Justice Gautam A. Ankhad in the writ petition filed by Prashant Satyawan Kokane against the State of Maharashtra. The petitioner, representing himself, highlighted the inadequacies in the existing surveillance system, particularly the failure to preserve CCTV footage beyond six months, which contravenes previous court orders and Supreme Court guidelines.
During the proceedings, the court permitted the petitioner to present his case in Marathi after noting his competency and preparedness. The petitioner referred to a previous order from March 2022, where the State had committed to upgrading the CCTV systems to cover all necessary locations within police stations as outlined in the Supreme Court's judgment.
The court further directed the Director General of Police to conduct a fact-finding exercise assessing the functionality of CCTV cameras and the adequacy of data preservation across all police stations in Maharashtra. This report is expected to include compliance details concerning previous court orders and Supreme Court guidelines, addressing issues such as the Ghatkopar Police Station's inability to preserve footage beyond six months.
The judgment underscores the importance of maintaining comprehensive surveillance systems in police stations to ensure transparency and accountability. The court emphasized the need for uninterrupted electricity supply to the surveillance systems and the installation of generators where necessary.
The Bombay High Court has set the next hearing for August 10, 2026, urging the State Government to take the directives seriously and report on the steps taken to enhance the surveillance capabilities of police stations.
Bottom line:-
Directions issued to ensure proper functioning of CCTV cameras in police stations, extended data preservation, and compliance with Supreme Court guidelines for monitoring and security.
Statutory provision(s): Compliance with Supreme Court judgment in Paramvir Singh Saini v. Baljit Singh, (2021) 1 SCC 184; previous court order in Somnath Laxman Giri v. State of Maharashtra
Prashant Satyawan Kokane v. State of Maharashtra, (Bombay)(DB) : Law Finder Doc id # 2941289
