Allahabad HC Calls Police 'Bunch Of Liars' Over Missing CCTV Footage, Orders Compensation From SHO Salary
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
The Allahabad High Court reprimanded senior Uttar Pradesh Police officers, calling them a "bunch of liars" over missing CCTV footage in a case concerning the illegal detention of four citizens.
A division bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Divesh Chandra Samant issued the sharp verbal rebuke while hearing a habeas corpus petition. The court ordered the Uttar Pradesh state government to pay ₹65,000 in total compensation to the four petitioners, directing that the entire amount be recovered directly from the personal salary of the Station House Officer (SHO) of Gauri Bazar Police Station in Deoria district.
SHO Salary docked for illegal detention
The petition alleged that four individuals were held in unlawful custody at the Gauri Bazar police station for periods up to 10 days between April 13 and April 24, 2026. To verify the claims, the court had earlier ordered the production of internal CCTV recordings from the station.
However, state counsel informed the court on September 2 that the recording system had developed a technical fault precisely during the period of the alleged detention. The explanation brought Deoria Superintendent of Police (SP) and the SHO into court under personal summons.
The court awarded ₹20,000 each to three petitioners and ₹5,000 to the fourth petitioner. Holding the station head directly accountable, the bench directed that the entire sum be deducted from the SHO's salary.
High Court questions missing logs and lenient action
During proceedings, t bench questioned the SHO on why the cameras stopped working on April 12 and why no General Diary (GD) entry recorded the system failure or subsequent repairs. The SHO confirmed that no GD log existed for the maintenance work.
When the SP admitted he was kept unaware of the non-functioning cameras and offered an apology, Justice Sreedharan remarked, "Don't apologize to the Court. Apologize to the people."
The bench expressed strong dissatisfaction that the SHO was merely transferred to the Crime Branch instead of facing strict disciplinary proceedings. Justice Sreedharan noted that an SHO unable to maintain a basic GD entry was unfit to serve, questioning why service termination or suspension was not initiated.
Funds released despite incomplete installation
The court also scrutinized the handling of public funds allocated for police surveillance. Court affidavits revealed that ₹46.46 lakh was released to contractors for setting up CCTV systems across police stations in Deoria district following Supreme Court directions.
The bench questioned why the full amount was disbursed to the vendor before ensuring the installation was operational, rather than blacklisting the agency for incomplete work. The judges observed that local authorities appeared to take action against the vendor only after the court began hearing the petition and issued orders in August.
