Disposing of a writ petition in connection with the custodial abuse of a serving army officer and his fiancée, the Orissa High Court has directed the State Government to install CCTV cameras in all police stations and outposts by 31 March 2025.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Justice Savitri Ratho in an order on Tuesday issued directions in this regard stating that “all the police stations and the police outposts in the State of Odisha must be fully equipped with aptly placed and duly located CCTV cameras by 31 March 2025”.

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The Court had earlier directed the Government to install CCTV cameras in all police stations and ensure that the devices were functional in the wake of the alleged assault on an army officer and sexual harassment of his fiancée in Bhubaneswar’s Bharatpur police on 15 September station which did not have any CCTV camera.

Their integration with the Central Monitoring System (CMS) through Video Management System (VMS) must also be completed by the said date.

The State Officials/police personnel will be under the obligation to strictly follow the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) formulated by the State Government on arrest of and interaction with members of armed forces in police stations.

The said SOP should be duly publicised and effective steps should be taken to ensure that the police personnel are made aware of its provisions. The said SOP should be circulated in Odia language to all the police stations and the police outposts of the State, the court said.

The affidavit filed by Dayal Gangwar Additional Director General of Police (headquarters) stated that the department has been able to integrate 96 per cent of 645 Police Stations in the Central Monitoring System (CMS) of the State Police Headquarters, Cuttack. The process of integration was started after the Bharatpur incident.

The alleged custodial abuse of a Captain of Sikh Regiment and sexual assault of his fiancée in the Bharatpur model police station had sparked massive nationwide outrage. The Orissa High Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the incident after Lieutenant General PS Shekhawat, AVSM, SM, General Officer Commanding & Colonel of the MECH INF REGT, Madhya Bharat apprised the Chief Justice after a meeting at latter’s residence on 17 September.

The army officer and his fiancé were meted out custodial abuse on 15 September when they had gone to the Bharatpur police station to lodge a complaint in connection with the road rage case. His female companion was arrested and sent to jail. Later the Court bailed her out.

The High Court had pulled up the State police and expressed deep concern over the incident, observing that “allegation made by the accused-petitioner in the present case is an anathema to the very concept of a democratic and orderly society”.

Meanwhile retired Justice Chittaranjan Das commission of inquiry is in progress into the incident.