Kareena Eugene
After two years the Punjab and Haryana High Court was told that the CCTV cameras installed in every police station across that States have power backup, a Bench has directed the Police Officer-in-charge of the computerization to file an affidavit on the authenticity of the statement.
Justice Anmol Rattan Singh stated that, “The ADGP/IGP, who is the nodal officer currently with regard to computerisation of CCTV cameras installed in police stations is directed to file an affidavit as to whether any power backup has been provided as was in fact stated on an affidavit by the Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Punjab/DGP, Punjab, before this court, around two years ago when CCTV cameras were ordered to be installed in all police stations”.
Through Counsel Ishan Gupta, the petitioner, Jatinder Kumar, was seeking probe by an independent agency such as the CBI in an FIR registered on 31st May 2020, at the Bhawanigarh Police Station, Sangrur.
Directions to take stringent actions against officials who allegedly destroyed the CCTV footage evidence, were also sought.
Justice Singh asserted that, ‘preliminary perusal revealed that not even a single word was said in response to the court query on the absence of power backup’.
The affidavit submitted by the Police officer-in-charge only mentioned that there were some faults with the CCTV cameras installed at the Police Station in the period of question.
Justice Singh said, ‘there would be no excuse on account of power failure and the entire exercise prima facie, at least at this stage, appears to be a complete set up by the Police’.
After taking into consideration the argument that the petitioner was apprehended on the 30th of May 2020, and not on the 31st of May, from a place different from what is written in the FIR, the petitioner was granted interim bail without any final comment by Justice Singh based on the actual merits of the case.