Karnataka High Court orders CCTV audit at all police stations across State

The Karnataka High Court has mandated a thorough audit of CCTV systems and backup power supplies at every police station across the state. The court's order follows a non-functional CCTV system at the Whitefield police station in Bengaluru, which went down for nearly 11 months due to a non-working Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) apparatus.

Justice Suraj Govindaraj issued the directions after the petition of Shailaja, who challenged the State Information Commission's refusal to release CCTV footage to support her claim about the conduct of police officials. The court emphasized that installing CCTV cameras is not just a formality but a directive from the Supreme Court, and it is unacceptable for the system to remain non-functional during power outages.

The court directed the Police Computer Wing to design and implement a centralized IT system for real-time monitoring of CCTV operations across all police stations. The audit will examine various aspects, including the number and location of cameras, their working condition, maintenance, installation date, technical specifications, recording device capacity, storage period for footage, and the adequacy of backup UPS systems.

The court also ordered an inquiry into the Whitefield police station's CCTV malfunction in September 2024, specifically between 11 a.m. and 2.30 p.m., to investigate any potential power supply interruptions.