After the Supreme Court’s landmark directive to install CCTV cameras in all police stations, not even a single camera has been installed despite the directiveissued in July, 2015, as the Delhi Police and government continue to play their blame-game again. Also, Delhi Police does not have the basic feature of recording in any of the CCTV cameras that were already installed in police stations before the Supreme Court’s direction.
In an RTI reply, Delhi Police claimed that most of the CCTV cameras that are installed inside the police stations are not in working condition. These cameras are obsolete and cannot be repaired. Hence, the cameras that are installed in the police stations are merely an eyewash. Both the centre and the state have been violating the directions given by the apex court in the wake of an incident wherein a woman lawyer in the Supreme Court was allegedly manhandled by some policemen and others inside a police station in the Capital in 2014.
The Delhi government is blaming the Delhi Police for not taking any action. “Several times, we have written to Delhi Police to ask them to send their need for the cameras. Accordingly they will assign the budget and the cameras. Delhi Police has not responded even once,” Nagendra Sharma, spokesperson of Delhi government said.
Four-months before the Supreme Court’s directions, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s office had written to former Police Commissioner BS Bassi on the need for surveillance in police stations in order to prevent harassment of complainants by policemen. After no response from Delhi Police, the government sent a reminder. Finally, the Supreme Court issued them directions to install cameras at police stations within two months and file an action-taken report. After which the Delhi Police wrote an affirmative reply to the home department. Subsequently, the government tasked the Public Works Department with the drafting of a plan, working out the logistics and financial implications based on the requirements. But the present situation suggests that no cameras have been installed despite various communications between the police and the government.
