The Karnataka Information Commission (KIC) not only imposed a penalty of ₹25,000 on a station house officer of Nangli police station for not providing information about CCTV cameras in the station, but also directed the State police chief to comply with the Supreme Court order on installation of CCTV cameras in all police stations and submit a compliance report to the commission.
The case pertains to the alleged custodial torture and death of 30-year-old suspect Muniraju, hailing from Andhra Pradesh, who was picked up by Nangli police, Mulabagal taluk, in August, in connection with a theft case. He was allegedly kept in illegal detention for 10 days and later released when he was ill. The police admitted him to Kolar District Hospital, where he succumbed to death.
The police informed his family members and even allegedly tried to bribe them to not pursue the case.
Based on a complaint by the victim’s family, advocate Sudha Katwa sought the CCTV footage of the camera installed at the police station under Right to Information Act, 2004, from station house officer G. Pradeep Singh. As he did not respond to this application, Ms. Katwa approached KIC seeking details.
The police not only failed to provide the details but also allegedly tried to mislead the commission that the cameras were under repair. However, when the officer reportedly failed to substantiate his claims, the commission slapped a fine of ₹25,000 to be deducted from his salary.
The KIC also directed the DG&IGP, Karnataka, to ensure CCTV cameras are installed at all police stations as per the Supreme Court guidelines. It further said that these cameras should have the facility to store footage of the past one year at any given point of time.
Ms. Katwa said that despite the Supreme Court guidelines there are no CCTV cameras in many police stations. “Cameras in stations will help both the public and the police. It will ensure transparency amidst increasing instances of custodial torture and corruption at stations, and it will help the police in their defence against allegations,” she said.
However, a senior police official said most police stations had already installed CCTV cameras, but many had developed technical snags due to non-maintenance issues, which could be rectified on a timely basis.
