SC: Custodial violence and death blot on system

Describing custodial violence and custodial death as a “blot on the system”, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said the country will not tolerate this.

“Now, this country will not tolerate this. This is a blot on the system. You can’t have deaths in custody,” a Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta said while hearing a suo motu case on lack of functional CCTV cameras in police stations across India.

Referring to its September 4 order passed in the matter, the Bench said 11 deaths were reported in police custody in eight months in Rajasthan as it wondered if the Centre was taking the issue lightly.

The top court expressed its displeasure over the government’s response to its direction to install CCTV cameras in police stations and offices of CBI, ED and NIA to prevent custodial torture.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said custodial deaths can never be justified. Mehta, who was not appearing in the matter, assured the court that the Centre would file its compliance affidavit within three weeks.

Senior advocate Siddhartha Dave said he had filed a report in which an order was passed in December 2020.

In a move aimed at checking police brutality, the Supreme Court on December 2, 2020, ordered the Centre, states and union territories to install CCTVs with night-vision cameras in each police station