New Delhi: The alleged absence of 100 per cent CCTV coverage in different police stations of the capital, raised through a plea, prompted the Delhi high court to seek the response of the Centre and the Delhi governments on Monday .
A bench of justices S. Ravindra Bhat and Sunil Gaur issued a notice to the Delhi police also and sought its stand on the application, which claims that even the cameras installed in some police stations were obsolete as they were without the recording feature.
The application has been filed in a public interest litigation (PIL) initiated by the high court on the issue of women’s safety after the December 16, 2012 gangrape of a young woman in a moving bus in the city.
It also alleged that there were several deaths inside the police stations in the city this year and said that the presence of functional CCTV cameras could act as a deterrent.
One of the aspects being considered by the high court in the PIL is the installation of CCTV cameras in all police stations and ‘chowkis’ (check-posts) in the city.
The applicant, Ajay Gautam, seeking to be made a part of the PIL proceedings, has contended that CCTV cameras “must be installed in all the police stations in a bid to ensure transparency” in their functioning.
The application also alleged that the conduct of the police on the issue highlights its “unplanned and casual approach”, apart from “wastage of public money” by installing CCTV cameras without the recording feature.
The court listed the matter for further hearing on November 2.
