Jharkhand HC summons DGP, home secretary over non-functional CCTV cameras
The Jharkhand High Court on Tuesday directed the state police chief and home secretary to appear before it through video conference over non-functional CCTV cameras at a police station, an issue that surfaced during the hearing of a case involving the alleged illegal detention of a minor.
A division bench of Justices Sujit Narayan Prasad and Akhil Kumar was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Feroz Ansari, who alleged that his minor son was illegally detained at Doranda Police Station after being picked up on September 4.
The bench expressed displeasure over the non-functional CCTV cameras despite several earlier directions issued by the court.
Ansari claimed in his petition that he had submitted his son's birth certificate to establish that he was a minor. However, he alleged that the police refused to accept the document and recorded his age as 19.
During Tuesday's hearing, the bench directed the officer-in-charge of Doranda Police Station to produce CCTV footage from September 4. The police officer, however, informed the court that the cameras at the station were not functioning.
The bench expressed its displeasure and observed that surveillance cameras should remain operational at all police stations, roads and major points across the city. It also noted that despite several previous directions, CCTV cameras at police stations had not been made operational.
Taking serious note of the matter, the bench directed Director General of Police (DGP) Tadasha Mishra and Home Secretary Vandana Dadel to appear through video conference on October 12, the next date of hearing.
On September 24, the high court had issued contempt notices to the DGP and home secretary over alleged non-compliance with its order to install CCTV cameras at police stations across the state.
Earlier, a division bench of Chief Justice M S Sonak and Justice Manoj Prasad had directed the state government to ensure the installation of cameras at all police stations and set December 31, 2025, as the deadline.
The court had observed that the government repeatedly sought adjournments but failed to comply with the order.
The bench had also noted that the government floated tenders four times but cancelled them for various reasons. It warned that it would pass "harsh orders" if state officials failed to perform their duties.
Advocate General Rohitashya Roy had said tenders had been floated to select companies for installing CCTV cameras at police stations. (with inputs from PTI)
