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The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed the State police to ensure that CCTV cameras with audio recording are installed in each room of all police stations in the next three months.
In an order dated October 21, a single Bench of Justice G. S. Ahluwalia, hearing a case of police brutality, issued directions to the Director General of Police (DGP) saying that any black spot in police stations in future will attract contempt of court proceedings against officers concerned.
The court’s verdict came after hearing a writ petition filed by Akhilesh Pandey, a resident of Anuppur district and a manager at a local factory, who had alleged that he was illegally detained by the police at Bhalumada station in September 2023 over a dispute between villagers and the factory management.
Mr. Pandey, in his petition, had alleged that on September 17, 2023, locals had stopped trucks and he had gone to the spot. He said that police picked him up and he was “badly beaten” in a room that had no CCTV camera. The petitioner had obtained various footages from CCTV cameras at other places in the station using the Right to Information Act.
“Petitioner was deliberately taken to a room because it was not having CCTV camera. Therefore, it is clear that the police personnel were intending to hide their illegal activities of assaulting the petitioner in a police station,” the court said, while taking note that Mr. Pandey was not in a position to stand when he was being taken out of the station, as seen in one of the footages.
“Therefore, the Director General of Police, Madhya Pradesh, is directed to ensure that each and every room of the Police Station is fitted with CCTV Camera with audio facility. The DGP is directed to immediately call report from every Superintendent of Police of each district to the effect as to whether any room or space in any police station in their jurisdiction has any black spot and should ensure that every room and every space within the Police Station is fitted with CCTV Cameras within a period of three months from today,” the court said, directing the DGP to ensure that he receives a status from each district within a month.
The High Court also asked the DGP to submit a completion report to the court before February 18, 2025.
In his order, Justice Ahluwalia also imposed penalties on the accused police personnel ranging from ₹10,000-₹40,000. He directed the DGP to transfer all personnel at Bhalumada station at the time of the incident to locations more than 900 km away.
“Since Anuppur is a border district, therefore, the distance of 900 km has been consciously fixed, so that they should remain at a distance and different places, so that they cannot hatch conspiracy and cannot manipulate the official record. Let the entire police staff be transferred within a period of 10 days from today (October 21),” the order read.
The court made strong observations on the police department, saying, “It is clear that the police authorities, instead of correcting their house, have protected the police personnel who are prima facie guilty of committing police atrocities on the petitioner, who was in the custody of the police. Thus, it is clear that the entire staff is out and out to destroy the evidence and is trying to manipulate the things. This attempt of senior police officers in protecting the wrongdoer is a very serious matter.”
It also ordered filing of a criminal case against a doctor who created a “false and concocted MLC”, showing no injuries on Mr. Pandey’s body.
Published – October 25, 2024 05:45 am IST