Lack Of Infrastructure No Excuse For Failure To Preserve Police Station CCTV Footage As Directed By SC: Allahabad High Court
Reported by LiveLaw, not nibnow. We are not the publisher of this story, only the source is.
The court ruled that police cannot cite lack of infrastructure as a reason for not preserving CCTV footage ordered by the Supreme Court, highlighting the importance of evidence preservation for justice.
The Allahabad High Court recently stated that police departments cannot use inadequate infrastructure, limited space, or a lack of resources as a valid justification for failing to preserve closed circuit television camera recordings from police stations, as previously mandated by the Supreme Court. The court addressed this issue during legal proceedings where authorities pointed to logistical shortcomings to explain missing surveillance data. The bench made it clear that administrative difficulties do not exempt law enforcement agencies from obeying judicial directives concerning the retention of electronic evidence. Judicial authorities stressed that compliance with these established protocols remains mandatory regardless of local facility constraints.
India's Supreme Court can direct lower courts and authorities to preserve evidence such as CCTV recordings, and high courts enforce compliance with those directives.
- •Potential sanctions or further orders against the police for non‑compliance
- •Follow‑up hearings on how the police will secure and store the required footage
- •Any broader guidelines issued to police stations on evidence preservation