Advocates Appeared:
For the Petitioner(s): Mr. Bankey Bihari, AOR
For the Respondent(s): Mr. K. K. Venugopal, AG. Mr. B. V. Balaram Das, AOR Mr. Abhimanyu Tewari, AOR Ms. Eliza Bar, Adv. Mr. Sumeer Sodhi, AOR Mr. V. N. Raghupathy, AOR Mr. C. K. Sasi, AOR Mr. Arjun Garg, AOR Mr. Pukhrambam Ramesh Kumar, AOR Ms. Anupama Ng., Adv. Mr. Karun Sharma, Adv. Mr. Avijit Mani Tripathi, AOR Mr. B. S. Rajesh Agrajit, Adv. Ms. Dipti Singh, Adv. Ms. Jyoti Rana, Adv. Mr. D. K. Devesh, AOR Ms. Ruchira Goel, AOR Mr. Chanchal Kumar Ganguli, AOR Ms. G. Indira, AOR Mr. V. G. Pragasam, AOR Mr. S. Prabu Ramasubramanian, Adv. Ms. Nitya Ramakrishnan, Adv. Mr. Mrigank Prabhakar, AOR Mr. Prasanna S., Adv. Mr. Shekhar Raj Sharma, Adv. Mr. Sanjay Kumar Visen, AOR Ms. Jaspreet Gogia, AOR Mr. Karanvir Gogia, Adv. Ms. Shivangi Singhal, Adv. Ms. K. Enatoli Sema, AOR Mr. Amit Kumar Singh, Adv. Mr. Soumitra G. Chaudhuri, Adv. Mr. Chanchal Kumar Ganguli, Adv. Mr. Sumeer Sodhi, AOR Mr. Manoj Kumar Singh, AAG. Mr. Hussain Ali, Adv. Mr. K. V. Jagdishvaran, Adv. Ms. G. Indira, AOR Mr. Arjun Garg, AOR Ms. Rati Tandon, Adv. Mr. Siddhesh Kotwal, Adv. Mr. Divyansh Tiwari, Adv. Ms. Ana Upadhyay, Adv. Ms. Shahrukh Alam, Adv. Ms. Liz Mathew, AOR Ms. Sonali Jain, Adv. Mr. Shantanu Singh, Adv. Mr. Ankur Gulyani Panda, Adv. Mr. Shyvodeep Roy, AOR Mr. Kabir Shankar Bose, Adv. Mr. Rahul Raj Mishra, Adv. Mr. Nalin Kohli, AAG. Mr. Shuvodeep Roy, AOR Mr. Rahul Raj Mishra, Adv. Mr. Ravi Kamal Gupta, Adv. Mr. Nikunj Dayal, AOR Mr. M. Yogesh Kanna, AOR Mr. Rajrajeshwaran S., Adv. Mr. Aditya Chadha, Adv.

The Supreme Court issued elaborate directions to safeguard fundamental rights under Article 21 by mandating comprehensive implementation of videography at crime scenes and CCTV surveillance in police stations across all States and Union Territories.[1000694520002][1000694520015][1000694520016][1000694520020]

State and Union Territory Governments must ensure CCTV cameras, equipped with night vision, audio-video recording, and storage capacity for at least 18 months (or the maximum commercially available period not below 1 year), are installed in every police station, covering entry/exit points, lock-ups, corridors, reception areas, verandas, rooms of Inspectors/Sub-Inspectors, station hall, Duty Officer’s room, and other specified areas; electricity and internet (including solar/wind power where needed) must be provided expeditiously.[1000694520015][1000694520016]

The Station House Officer (SHO) bears primary responsibility for CCTV operation, maintenance, recording, data backup, fault reporting to the District Level Oversight Committee (DLOC), and notifying the DLOC of arrests/interrogations during any malfunction, with records forwarded accordingly.[1000694520013][1000694520014]

District Level Oversight Committees (DLOCs), comprising the Divisional/Regional Commissioner, District Magistrate, Superintendent of Police, and Mayor/Head of Zilla Panchayat, must supervise maintenance, monitor functionality, interact with SHOs, send monthly reports to State Level Oversight Committees (SLOCs), review footage for unreported human rights violations, and promptly request repairs/purchases from SLOCs. (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) [1000694520010][1000694520011][1000694520013]

State Level Oversight Committees (SLOCs), comprising Secretary/Additional Secretary (Home), Secretary/Additional Secretary (Finance), Director General/Inspector General of Police, and Chairperson/member of State Women’s Commission, must oversee purchase/installation, secure funding, monitor upkeep, inspect, address DLOC grievances, and act on faulty equipment via monthly DLOC reports. (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) [1000694520009][1000694520011][1000694520012]

Director General/Inspector General of Police in each State/Union Territory must direct SHOs to assess and restore non-functional CCTVs, handle data maintenance, and ensure compliance.[1000694520014]

Compliance affidavits from Principal Secretary/Cabinet Secretary/Home Secretary of each State/Union Territory, detailing total police stations, CCTV numbers/positions/working conditions/recording durations per station, oversight committee constitutions, and firm timelines, must be filed within six weeks, with immediate execution required.[1000694520007][1000694520008][1000694520020]

Similar CCTV mandates apply to central agencies (CBI, NIA, ED, NCB, DRI, SFIO, etc.) in interrogation/arrest offices, overseen by the Central Oversight Body (COB).[1000694520018] (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!) (!)

Prominent posters in English, Hindi, and local languages must be displayed at police stations/agencies notifying CCTV coverage, preservation periods (minimum 6 months), and rights to complain to Human Rights Commissions/Courts/Superintendent of Police for violations, with footage summonable under the Protection of Human Rights Act.[1000694520017][1000694520019]

These measures advance Article 21 rights, with Union of India to update on COB and ensure phased videography implementation.[1000694520003][1000694520020]