170 out of 182 Delhi police stations have functional CCTVs, HC informed

The Delhi High Court was informed by the police on Friday that installation of CCTV cameras was completed in 170 of the 182 police stations in the national capital and the system was functional now. The police said the work of installation of CCTV cameras in eight police stations would be completed in a month's time and the remaining four were related to the Metro unit of the Delhi Police, which were functioning from a single room.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Metro has been requested to identify the locations for the installation of CCTV cameras at these Police Stations and get the same installed as per requirement, the police said. Taking note of the submissions, a bench of justices Ravindra Bhat and Prateek Jalan asked the police to furnish a certificate of an independent agency concerned, stating that CCTVs were installed at all the police stations here and they were functional.

The bench asked the police to indicate the period of monitoring the CCTVs -- half-yearly or quarterly -- and indicate its choice of an independent agency for the purpose like the CISF or any other agency. Delhi government's standing counsel (criminal) Rahul Mehra and additional standing counsel (criminal) Rajesh Mahajan told the court that the installation of 6,600 CCTV cameras in the vulnerable areas of the city was in progress and the work would be completed within the timeline prescribed by the court.

Regarding the issue of frequent malfunctioning of streetlights, which often posed a threat to the lives of citizens, especially women, the court said it had earlier asked the Delhi government to look into it, but no progress was indicated except that the complaints received were forwarded to the authorities concerned. The bench directed the Delhi government and civic agencies to convene a meeting and discuss the framework on the issue of streetlights and file a report.

It clarified that the mechanism should cover the aspect of accountability when the streetlights are not functioning. The court listed the matter for further hearing on March 20.

Advocate Meera Bhatia, assisting the court as amicus curiae, had said the Delhi Police was not adhering to the time-line for installation of CCTV cameras. The police had earlier told the court that the cameras it planned to install in the vulnerable areas of the city would record hi-definition videos and have facial recognition and number plate identification features and would cost around Rs 404 crore.

The court was hearing a PIL initiated by it in 2012 after the horrific December 16, 2012 gang rape of a young woman in a moving bus in the national capital. The woman had later succumbed to the injuries. Apart from that, the court was also hearing a plea moved by social activist Ajay Gautam, alleging that there have been several deaths inside police stations in the city last year and the presence of functional CCTVs could act as a deterrent.

In both the matters, the court has been, from time to time, issuing directions with regard to increasing the number of police officers in the city, installation of CCTV cameras in police stations as well as vulnerable or crime-prone areas, reducing delay in testing of samples in FSLs and ensuring speedy disbursal of compensation to victims of sexual assault. Earlier, the court had directed the Delhi government and the police to abide by the respective timelines given by them for filling up vacant posts in FSLs and installing CCTV cameras in police stations.

(With inputs from agencies.)