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Finds Over Nonfunctional Police Station Infrastructure And Surveillance
In a significant observation regarding police accountability, the has expressed severe displeasure over the state of infrastructure at police stations in Uttar Pradesh. The Court, presided over by Justice Ajit Kumar and Justice Garima Prashad, noted that non-functional CCTV cameras and missing backup power facilities constitute a "" by the (SP).
The Genesis of the Dispute
The proceedings originated from a alleging the of the petitioner at the Bhaluani Police Station in Deoria. When the (SHO), Pradeep Kumar Pandey, was summoned to explain the alleged detention, he claimed that the CCTV footage for the relevant date could not be retrieved due to a power outage at the station.
Infrastructure Failures Under Scrutiny
During subsequent hearings, the Court discovered that the police station lacked the essential backup mechanisms required for its sensitive operations. Records revealed that the generator set at the station had remained non-functional since , and the installed solar panels were also in a state of disrepair.
The Court questioned why the officer in charge had failed to report these defects or initiate any maintenance efforts during his tenure, which began in . Adding to the gravity of the situation, the local electricity department confirmed that while the village had received significant power supply on the relevant date, the police station remained dependent on a broken generator.
Key Observations
The bench emphasized the necessity of a fully functional police station, remarking:
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"We find it to be quite amazing that sensitive places like police station are kept in dark without any electricity supply and the generators that is provided by the Government is also not in working order."
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"It was primary duty of the or to ensure that these generator sets provided to the different police stations are in working order."
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"If the CCTV cameras are not working in different police stations and electricity back up means like gen-sets and solar panels are not working then it is a dereliction in by ."
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"The is equally liable to be held responsible in the present case for not getting the gen-set repaired and in not getting the solar panel maintained."
Judicial Directives
The High Court has taken a firm stance by directing the , to issue mandatory instructions to all district police heads. These instructions aim to ensure that every police station in the state is well-equipped with functioning generator sets, solar panels, and surveillance systems to maintain discipline and ensure legal compliance.
The Court has ordered the SP, Deoria, to appear at the next hearing on , to provide a comprehensive status report on the infrastructure across all stations in the district. Furthermore, the Court has directed that the existing hard drive from the Bhaluani Police Station be extracted and presented to the bench in a digital format to prevent any potential tampering with the evidence.
