The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the Secretary to the Home Department and the Director-General of Police to ensure that footages recorded by CCTV cameras at police stations were protected for a minimum of 12 months to 18 months. The CCTV cameras should function properly, it said.
All measures should be initiated to install footage-storing facilities within three months, Justice S.M. Subramaniam said and directed the DGP to ensure proper storage of footages. In the event of failure on the part of officials, action should be taken against them for negligence, lapses and dereliction of duty.
Referring to the Supreme Court judgment in Paramvir Singh Saini vs Baljit Singh and Others, Justice Subramaniam said the courts had repeatedly directed that the CCTV camera footages at police stations be stored for at least 18 months. Yet, the police department was not equipped with CCTV cameras capable of storing footages for one year.
