All Telangana police stations will have CCTV cameras, Govt informs HC

Hyderabad: On Tuesday, the Telangana High Court Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N Tukaramji, was informed that all police stations in Telangana State will be equipped with CCTV cameras. The Bench was hearing a PIL on the installation of CCTV cameras to reduce custodial deaths, and human rights violations to protect the innocents from police brutality at all police stations.

Rapolu Bhaskar, advocate, in his letter to the High Court informed that some police officials have been accused of harassing innocents by imposing false and fabricated charges on them, and instances of lockup deaths have also been reported, which may be attributed to the lack of cameras at police stations.

The government pleader for Home Department M Roopender informed the court that out of 774 police stations in Telangana State, around 369 stations have CC cameras facilities. He added that installation work is in progress at another 293 police stations, and the planning for installing CCTVs at 103 police stations in the state is in progress.

Roopender also informed the court that the Supreme Court is monitoring the issue, hence there is no need of continuing the case in the Telangana High Court.

Agreeing with the arguments by the GP, the CJ Division Bench closed public interest litigation.

During an earlier hearing on July 8, Rapolu Bhaskar in a letter addressed to the chief justice of Telangana High Court listed cases of recent custodial deaths reported in the media such as the custodial death in Medak district, at Tukaram Gate police station, in Secunderabad, and so on. He said that there are 780 police stations in the state, out of which 40 per cent of the cameras installed in the city are dysfunctional.