The Supreme Court has directed the Union government, the Delhi government and other states to participate in a crucial meeting on March 14, 2026, to advance the creation of a centralised dashboard and uniform CCTV standards for police stations nationwide. The order comes amid concerns over patchy compliance with earlier directions mandating functional surveillance systems in police facilities, a key safeguard against custodial abuse.
The direction was issued by a Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta after amicus curiae Siddhartha Dave informed the Court that a meeting convened on February 21 pursuant to earlier orders could not achieve progress as the Union and some states failed to attend. As a result, the amicus said he was unable to submit a status report. The Court was told that the absence was due to a communication lapse, with the Union’s counsel assuring future cooperation.
The matter arises from an ongoing suo motu public interest case initiated after reports highlighted non-functional CCTV systems in police stations, despite earlier Supreme Court mandates requiring installation of cameras with audio-visual capability, night vision, and minimum one-year data retention across police stations and central investigating agencies.
Recording the assurance, the Bench noted, “Counsel for the Union of India already apologised that due to some communication gap, it could not participate in the meeting… in the next meeting they will extend all cooperation.” Accepting the amicus’ suggestion, the Court directed that the next meeting be held on March 14, 2026, as previously ordered, and listed the case for further hearing on March 23. The emphasis remained on coordinated implementation and standardisation to ensure earlier judicial directions are meaningfully enforced.
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