High Court Orders Police CCTV Audit After Power Backup Failure at Whitefield Station

The Karnataka High Court has directed senior Home Department officials and the DG & IGP to conduct an inquiry into the functioning of CCTVs and power backup systems across all police stations in the state, following revelations that the backup system at Whitefield police station was non-functional for nearly eleven months.

Justice Suraj Govindaraj issued the interim order on a petition filed by a city resident concerning an incident that took place between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on September 4, 2024, relating to a crime registered at Whitefield police station.

The government advocate informed the court that the CCTV setup at Whitefield police station functioned only when mains electricity was active. The advocate stated that the station's UPS had been out of order for nearly eleven months, including on September 4, 2024, meaning the system did not record the alleged incident during a power failure.

The court observed that the submission did not inspire confidence, citing the Supreme Court judgment in the Shafi Mohammad versus State of Himachal Pradesh case that mandated operational CCTVs in all police stations to monitor activities and address complaints of atrocities.

Scrutinising a broader status report on police stations across Karnataka, the court highlighted several disturbing discrepancies. The report entered the word "nil" under the "not working" column for UPS status, improperly suggesting that all CCTV units were operational around the clock throughout the year.

The report further revealed that while most stations had roughly four CCTV cameras, UPS capacities varied widely from 0.5 KVA or 1 KVA up to 600 KVA. The documents failed to clarify why capacities varied, whether they were independent of other station loads, or if they could guarantee uninterrupted recording during power cuts.

The High Court ordered a comprehensive technical and administrative audit of all CCTV and power backup setups across police stations. The inquiry must identify responsible officers, fix accountability for prolonged equipment failures, check compliance with Supreme Court directives, and establish a centralised dashboard reflecting the operational status of every CCTV camera.