HC asks govt to sanction police posts, install CCTV cameras

The court also asked the Delhi government to complete the process of issuing tender and installation of CCTV cameras in the 44 “vulnerable areas” identified by the police within two months. Taking note of submissions made by amicus curiae Meera Bhatia, the court also cautioned the government that “special regard be given to maintaining privacy of individuals” while choosing the location of the cameras, and that CCTVs should be installed in public areas “without encroaching upon privacy of people”. Bhatia had raised the issue that CCTV surveillance could affect the privacy of the residents.

[related-post]

The court also pulled up the government for the delay in procurement of equipment for the regional Forensic Science Laboratories, which are to come up in three areas in Delhi, after the government said that the sanctions for the audio-video, computer forensics and DNA testing equipment at the RFSL at Yashwant Place, which was to be made functional by April this year, had “lapsed”.

“This is a major problem with this country. An expensive equipment may be better, but we are stuck with a third-class equipment as it was the cheapest,” observed the court after the government counsel said that the sanctions for procurement would be taken after checking whether the prices of the equipment had fallen. With regard to RFSLs proposed at Sayurpur and Shaikh sarai, the court also directed the DDA and PWD to expedite the process of handing over the land and creating approach road to the proposed FSL.