Lack Of Infrastructure No Excuse For Failure To Preserve Police Station CCTV Footage As Directed By SC: Allahabad High Court
Sparsh Upadhyay
24 Oct 2026 6:45 PM IST
Lack of resources, space, or infrastructure is no excuse for failing to comply with the Supreme Court's mandate to install CCTV cameras and preserve footage, the HC said.
The Allahabad High Court has observed that lack of resources, space or infrastructure is no answer to a general mandamus issued by the Supreme Court requiring installation of CCTV cameras and preservation of footage for the specified period of time in police stations.
The Court sought an affidavit from the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ayodhya, explaining why the CCTV footage of the lockup at Cantt Police Station was not preserved and provided to an applicant who sought it under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
A bench of Justice JJ Munir and Justice Amitabh Kumar Rai observed that once an application for CCTV footage was made within the prescribed 90-day period, the footage ought to have been preserved, even if the request for a copy was denied.
The petitioner (Praveen Kumar Dubey), had sought CCTV footage of the police station lockup for February 23, 2026, through an RTI application filed on May 9, 2026.
After the Public Information Officer denied the information, the petitioner filed the first and second appeals. However, the authorities took the stand that the 90-day period had expired.
Subsequently, the petitioner moved the High Court. The division bench observed that preserving the footage would have ensured that any subsequent order by a higher forum directing its disclosure did not become futile.
The High Court further noted that the SSP, Ayodhya, was in violation of the Supreme Court's directions in Paramvir Singh Saini v. Baljit Singh 2021, concerning the installation of CCTV cameras in police stations and preservation of footage.
The Supreme Court's directions require CCTV systems capable of recording audio and video, with footage preserved for 18 months. Where the available equipment cannot store footage for 18 months, it must be preserved for at least one year.
The bench directed the SSP, Ayodhya, to file his own affidavit within one week, explaining why he had failed to preserve and provide the requisite CCTV footage.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on October 30, 2026.
