Gujarat High Court
Prakash Kapadia - President Of Jagega ... vs Commissioner Of Police (Ahmedabad ... on 24 September, 2014
Author: J.B.Pardiwala
Bench: Akil Kureshi, J.B.Pardiwala
C/WPPIL/200/2012 ORDER
IN THE HIGH COURT OF GUJARAT AT AHMEDABAD
WRIT PETITION (PIL) NO. 200 of 2012
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PRAKASH KAPADIA - PRESIDENT OF JAGEGA GUJARAT
SANGHARSH....Applicant(s)
Versus
COMMISSIONER OF POLICE (AHMEDABAD CITY) & 3....Opponent(s)
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Appearance:
RC JANI & ASSOCIATE, ADVOCATE for the Applicant(s) No. 1
MR PARTH BHATT, AGP for the Opponent(s) No. 1 - 4
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CORAM: HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE AKIL KURESHI
and
HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE J.B.PARDIWALA
Date : 24/09/2014
ORAL ORDER
(PER : HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE J.B.PARDIWALA) By this writ application in the nature of a public interest litigation, the petitioner, President of a non-Governmental organization has brought to our notice various instances of custodial torture and third degree methods being adopted by the police. In such background, we thought fit to direct the State Government to consider the feasibility of installing CCTV cameras at all the police stations across the State. Vide our order dated 8 th November 2012, various aspects of the issues highlighted in this litigation were considered at length.
In response to the notice issued by this Court, the stance of the Page 1 of 3 C/WPPIL/200/2012 ORDER State Government is that the idea of installing CCTV cameras at all police stations would be in the interest of one and all. The State Government expressed its willingness to install the CCTV cameras at all police stations of the State.
We have been monitoring this litigation only for a limited purpose as regards installation of such CCTV cameras at different police stations across the State. It has been brought to our notice that there are in all 562 police stations in the State of Gujarat out of which in 194 police stations, CCTV cameras are already installed as a pilot project, in 28 police stations, the work for installation of CCTV cameras is in progress whereas in balance 340 police stations, CCTV cameras are yet to be installed. By way of a further affidavit in reply filed by Shri Brajesh Kumar Jha, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Planning and Modernization, State of Gujarat, it has been brought to our notice that so far as the installation of CCTV cameras in all 562 police stations is concerned, the tenders have been invited from agencies interested to supply, design, installation, testing, commissioning and comprehensive maintenance. According to the affidavit in reply, last date for submission of the bids was 30th June 2014. The entire project has to be completed within a period of 120 days from the date of finalization of the bid. The cost of the entire project is around Rs.60 crore.
Since there has been substantial developments after the order dated 8th November 2012, we do not propose now to continue Page 2 of 3 C/WPPIL/200/2012 ORDER monitoring with this litigation. As stated above, no sooner the bid is finalized then the project would commence and get completed within a period of 120 days thereafter. We hope and trust that the entire process of installation of the CCTV cameras at all the police stations across the State gets completed by 31st December 2014 as far as possible.
With the above observations, we close this public interest litigation and dispose it of accordingly.
(AKIL KURESHI, J.) (J.B.PARDIWALA, J.) (vjn) Page 3 of 3