CCTV feed should go to cops, who should also be monitored: HC

Live feed from CCTV cameras installed in the city should go to the police, Delhi High Court said today while rejecting AAP government's plea that it should be allowed to share it.
"If you see something happening, who will respond? Delhi Police or a legislator? Delhi Police should get direct feed as it will do the real-time monitoring," a bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva said after Delhi government and the police disagreed over sharing of the feed.
The police contended that policing was its preserve and the city government's offer to set up CCTVs was a "surreptitious Trojan horse" to "encroach" into its domain. It also refused to share the feed from the cameras with Delhi government.

The AAP government said it was willing to set up the CCTVs at a fraction of the price quoted by the police as long as it too gets to share the video feed.
The bench, thereafter, said the object behind setting up CCTVs was to strengthen safety and security.
It also said the police has also to be monitored to see whether it was doing its job, and sought a report from Delhi Police on whether cameras have been set up in police stations, especially those which cover 44 locations in the city identified as sensitive.

It observed that every inch of the capital cannot be covered by CCTVs, as it was a double edged sword of maintaining safety and security, but also giving rise to privacy concerns.

On the issue of additional police personnel for Delhi
Police, the court observed that the government was "footballing" with the issue.
Referring to documents placed before it, the court observed that it appeared that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which had cleared the priority proposals for inducting around 15000 more cops, "has been asked to step in line".
"Even the Cabinet note has been withdrawn. So it (proposals) has not even gone to the Cabinet. The proposals were cleared by MHA after several rounds of back and forth between MHA and Delhi Police. You (Finance Ministry) are again asking for functional justification. They (MHA) have already done it," the court added.

It, however, appreciated the efforts made by Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain in "conveying to the government the court's sentiments on behalf of the people".
Meanwhile, Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) told the court that its one-stop crisis centres (OSCC) to provide assistance to victims of crime against women, have been set up in nine hospitals in the national capital.
The OSCC in district courts would be functional from April 1, 2016, DSLSA told the court and added that the standard operating procedures for these centres have been framed and the implementation is in progress.
The court was hearing a PIL initiated by it after the December 16, 2012 gangrape incident in which it has been giving directions on the issues of appointing more police personnel, setting up additional forensic labs and a victim compensation fund.