The directives were issued in Paramvir Singh Saini v. Baljit Singh Case, 2020 to install CCTVs in the premises of law-enforcement agencies including NIA, CBI, and police stations to prevent custodial torture.
- Under the judgement, the Court had mandated the constitution of Oversight Committees at the State and District levels along the lines of a 2018 Central Oversight Body (COB) at the Union level.
Safeguards related to custodial torture in India
- Constitutional:
- Article 14 - Right to equality before law
- Article 20(3) - Protection against self-incrimination
- Article 21 - Right to life
- NHRC’s Guidelines on Custodial deaths (1993): It calls for reporting of custodial death or rape within 24 hrs of occurrence.
- Previous SC Judgements:
- D.K. Basu vs. State of West Bengal (1997): Provided specific guidelines for safeguarding of detainees and procedure for arrest.
- Prakash Singh vs. Union of India (2006): Orderedthe setting up of a Police Complaints Authority in each state to look into complaints against officers of and above the rank of SP in cases related to custodial death.
- Shafhi Mohammad v. State of Himachal Pradesh (2018): Directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to set up a Central Oversight Body (COB) to implement videography in crime scenes.
Status of Custodial deaths in India
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