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The Punjab and Haryana High Court has marked May 10, 2022, as the deadline for Punjab, Haryana, and union territory of Chandigarh to get CCTV cameras having 18 months storage capacity installed in all police stations. Except inside the toilet area, all parts of these police stations including the interrogation centers will be under CCTV monitoring.

On Monday, the bench of Justice Amol Rattan Singh said that if the States of Punjab, Haryana, and UT Chandigarh fail to install the cameras as directed, then under the provisions of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, action would be taken against all concerned in both the States and union territory.

Court further asked the Director-Generals of Police (DGPs) of the two States and the UT to file affidavit stating whether instructions have been issued so far or not with regard to what had been earlier directed by the court in its order dated January 7, 2022.

Ordering thus, court posted the matter on April 18, 2022 and further asked the Additional Chief Secretary/ Principal Secretary/Secretary Home of each State/ Union Territory to file their affidavits with regard to the progress made at that stage.

It is to be noted that on February 9, the States and the UT had tabled their target dates before the high court. Haryana Government had set April 1, Punjab had set May 10 whereas, the UT had informed the court that all of its police stations are already equipped with CCTV surveillance but up-gradation of the same would take about 5 months. Thereafter, on February 21, UT sought 6 months time for completion of the task.

However, finding no legit ground for UT's this demand, the court has now directed all three to to complete the work in terms of the directions of the Supreme Court in Paramvir Singh Saini v. Baljit Singh and others.

The development has taken place in a plea filed by an alleged gangster Kaushal, accused in the gruesome murder of Youth Akal Dal leader Vikramjit Middukhera who had demanded his interrogation and movements in and out of the jail to be videographed alleging that he was being tortured at the hands of police officials.

Kaushal v. State of Haryana and others