Allahabad High Court rebukes UP police for missing CCTV in illegal detention case

The Allahabad High Court, hearing a habeas corpus petition alleging unlawful detention of four individuals at Gauri Bazaar Police Station in Deoria, sharply criticized the district police chief and the station’s SHO for providing inconsistent explanations about missing CCTV recordings for the period April 13-23, 2026. The judges, Justices Atul Sreedharan and Divesh Chandra Samant, called the officials “a bunch of liars” and ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to pay Rs 65,000 to each petitioner, to be deducted from the SHO’s salary.

They questioned the SHO’s claim of a technical fault, the absence of a General Diary entry on repairs, and the SP’s lack of prior knowledge of the system’s failure. The bench also probed why the SHO had not been suspended or terminated, noting that merely sending him to the Crime Branch was insufficient. Referencing the Supreme Court’s requirement for CCTV coverage, the court pointed out that the state had released over Rs 46 lakh for the system without confirming completion, suggesting the funds were disbursed on assurance alone. The judges implied that the district authorities acted only after the petition was filed.