Despite repeated orders of the Supreme Court and High Court, CCTV cameras have not been installed so far in lower courts. The Uttarakhand high court has now directed the principal secretary, Home, to appear in court personally and explain why the CCTV cameras have not been installed yet. The single bench of justice Ravindra Maithani issued this direction while hearing the case.
According to the case details, Dehradun resident Pradyumna Bisht had filed a petition stating that he is representing himself in a case in a lower court. The father of his opponent is also a lawyer in the same court and a counsel in the case related to dowry. The petitioner has alleged that during the trial he goes inside and manages to get changes made in the statements.
Stating this, the petitioner has sought that the statements should be recorded under CCTV camera surveillance. Imn 2014, the high court had rejected this petition stating that no law had been made at that time regarding this. The petitioner had challenged this order in the Supreme Court which converted it into a public interest litigation in 2017.
A report was sought from all high courts on whether CCTV cameras can be installed in the lower courts. Many high courts recommended that CCTV cameras should be installed in the lower courts. On August 15, 2017, the Apex court directed all the states that in the initial phase should set up CCTV cameras in the courts in two of their districts but this was not done in Uttarakhand.
The high court sent a proposal to the government in 2017 and 2018 for placing CCTV cameras in the courts in Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar. In June 2021, the chief justice talked via video conferencing with the state’s chief secretary regarding this proposal.
The chief secretary had then informed the chief justice that this matter had been put up in the cabinet. In July 2021, the chief justice talked to the principal secretary, Home on the proposal via video conferencing. The principal secretary had assured that the government had approved the proposal to set up CCTV cameras in lower courts of two districts.
In August that year the high court sent a budget proposal of Rs 4.98 crore for this purpose but it has not been passed yet. With the CCTV cameras not being installed despite the court repeatedly sending proposals to the state government, the principal secretary has been directed to appear personally in court and explain the reason for the same.
