AP High Court: Advocates' Committee on Installation of CCTV Cameras at Police Stations in the State

Vijayawada: The AP High Court has expressed doubts over the installation of CCTV cameras at police stations in the state. It has been revealed that an advocate committee will be formed on this issue.

VaarthaRavi

Jul 10, 2025 - 11:39

AP High Court: Advocates' Committee on Installation of CCTV Cameras at Police Stations in the State

In light of the reports

Vijayawada: The AP High Court has expressed doubts over the installation of CCTV cameras at police stations in the state. It has been revealed that an advocate committee will be formed on this issue. During the hearing on a habeas corpus petition, the High Court bench referred to the report of the Third Additional Judicial Magistrate of Vijayawada. It recalled that the magistrate's report stated that there was only one CCTV camera in the Vijayawada Cyber ??Crime Police Stations. However, it said that the Vijayawada Assistant Police Commissioner hadpersonally inspected the station and certified that CCTV cameras were installed to cover the entire police station and submitted it to the court. It warnedthat an advocate committeewould be formed to ascertain the veracity of the reports submitted by the NDPOs in the wake of conflicting reports. It stated that it would seek a report from the committee on how many CCTV cameras were installed after touring some police stations across the state? Were they installed so that the entire station could be seen? Or not? It said that it would seek a report on other issues.

Installation of CCTV cameras in prisons

The Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing for a week, directing the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) to place before it details of how many stations could not be installed with CCTV cameras as per the guidelines. A bench of High Court judges Justice R. Raghunandan Rao and Justice Jagadam Sumati gave orders to this effect on Tuesday. In 2019, advocate Tandava Yegesh filed a public interest litigation in the High Court seeking orders to install CCTV cameras in police stations and jails in the state. Hearing this litigation, the High Court ordered the installation of CCTV cameras to that extent on July 15, 2019. As the orders were not implemented even after years, Yogesh filed a contempt petition in 2022.

In all police stations in the state

On the other hand, Kataru Nagaraju filed a habeas corpus petition in November last year alleging that the Palnadu district and Machavaram police illegally detained his brother Gopiraju. The police administration explained to the AP High Court that CCTV cameras have been installed in all police stations in the state.Reports prepared by the respective DSPs in this regard have been submitted to the High Court. The High Court raised doubts over the reports that they have been installed so that they are visible inside and outside the police station. It has clarified that an advocates' committee will be formed to ascertain the facts on the installation of CCTV cameras. It commented that the report given by the police is not in line with the conditions on the ground.

Cybercrime

She said that the Vijayawada Cyber ??Crime PS is proof of this. She wanted to know why CCTV cameras were not installed in many PSs. She said that the Vijayawada Assistant Commissioner had given a report that CCTV cameras had been installed in the Cyber ??Crime Police Station so that everything could be seen, but in another case from here, the concerned magistrate had given a report that there was only one CCTV camera. Supreme Court(Supreme Court)A bench of Justices Rao Raghunandan Rao and Jagadam Sumati heard the PIL filed by advocate Tandava Yogesh in 2019 seeking an order to install CCTV cameras in all PSs as per the orders on Tuesday. The petitioner argued that out of 1,392 police stations in the state, only 1,001 stations have CCTV cameras. The government argued that they have been installed in all PSs with lockups. It said that cameras were not installed where there were no lockups.