Supreme Court Hails Keralam's Police Station CCTV Initiative, Asks Why Other States Cannot Follow Suit

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has commended Keralam for implementing a robust CCTV surveillance system across its police stations and directed that the Keralam model be replicated nationwide. A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, which is hearing a suo motu case registered in the wake of 11 custody deaths reported across India in 2025, noted that senior officers in Keralam can monitor police station footage in real time through a dedicated mobile application — a fact brought to the court's attention by amicus curiae Siddharth Dave. Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan were also commended alongside Keralam.

The court pointedly asked why other states cannot follow Keralam's example if the state has managed to put such an effective system in place. It expressed sharp displeasure at the slow pace of CCTV installation in police stations across the country, criticising both the Central government and several states. The court directed the Union Home Secretary to personally appear before it to review the progress of the scheme. States that have not yet filed compliance affidavits — only 11 have done so thus far — were given three more weeks, with a stern warning that principal secretaries of home departments would be required to appear in person and explain the delay when the case is taken up again on December 16.

The court noted with particular concern the seven custody deaths reported from Udaipur division in Rajasthan alone. It observed that the absence of cameras in interrogation rooms creates conditions for human rights violations and that CCTV coverage in these spaces is essential to ensure transparency and accountability. States like Jharkhand were specifically cited for lack of progress, and shortcomings in Delhi and certain Central agencies were also flagged.

The CCTV scheme is funded on a 60:40 basis between the Centre and the states. The court directed that coordination failures must not be allowed to obstruct implementation, and that CCTV systems must be made fully operational without further delay to ensure accountability and transparency across the country's policing infrastructure.