Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court has directed Director General of Police Tadasha Mishra (IPS: 1994: JH), and Home Secretary Vandana Dadel (IAS: 1996: JH), to appear through video conference in connection with a habeas corpus petition concerning the alleged detention of a minor at Doranda police station in Ranchi.
A Division Bench of Justices Sujit Narayan Prasad and Akhil Kumar passed the direction while hearing a petition filed by Feroz Ansari concerning the detention of his son. The matter will next be heard on October 12.
Court Seeks CCTV Footage From Doranda Police Station
During the hearing, the Bench directed the officer-in-charge of Doranda police station to produce CCTV footage from September 4, the day on which the petitioner alleges his son was taken into police custody.
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The police officer informed the court that the CCTV cameras at the police station were not functioning and therefore the footage could not be produced.
The court expressed concern over the non-functioning cameras and observed that CCTV systems should remain operational at police stations, roads and other important points in the city. The Bench also noted that despite earlier directions, CCTV cameras in police stations had not been made operational.
Petitioner Alleges Minor Was Shown as 19
According to the habeas corpus petition, Ansari’s son was allegedly picked up by police on September 4 and kept at Doranda police station.
The petitioner has claimed that he produced his son’s birth certificate to establish that he was a minor, but the police allegedly recorded his age as 19 years. The petition further states that the boy was subsequently remanded to custody. These are allegations made in the petition and are subject to the court’s consideration.
Earlier Court Directions on Police Station CCTV
The latest hearing comes against the backdrop of separate proceedings in which the Jharkhand High Court has repeatedly directed authorities to install and operationalise CCTV cameras in police stations.
In August, another Division Bench had issued a show-cause notice to DGP Tadasha Mishra over alleged non-compliance with directions to install CCTV cameras across police stations. The court had also directed the Chief Secretary and Home Secretary to ensure compliance.
In September, the High Court again took up the CCTV compliance issue and recorded that installation orders had not been fully implemented.
DGP, Home Secretary to Appear on October 12
The High Court has now directed DGP Tadasha Mishra and Home Secretary Vandana Dadel to appear virtually before the Bench on the next date of hearing.
The court is expected to consider the circumstances surrounding the alleged detention and the absence of CCTV footage from Doranda police station.
