- Supreme Court issues notice to Centre, UP on Noida police station case
- Supreme Court issues notice, orders CCTV footage protection in Noida
The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government, and others on a plea filed by a woman advocate alleging illegal detention and custodial sexual assault at a police station in Noida. The court also passed interim directions to preserve crucial evidence linked to the allegations. The plea relates to an incident at the Sector 126 police station and raises serious concerns about police conduct and CCTV compliance.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and N V Anjaria directed the Commissioner of Police of Gautam Buddh Nagar district to ensure that CCTV camera footage from the police station for the relevant period is not deleted or destroyed. The bench ordered that the footage be kept in a sealed cover. The court said it was issuing notice and made it returnable on January 7.
The apex court was hearing the plea of a woman advocate who claimed she was subjected to 14 hours of “illegal detention, custodial sexual assault, torture and coercion” by police personnel. According to the plea, the incident took place late on the night of December 3 when she was discharging her professional duty towards her client at the Sector 126 police station in Noida.
Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for the petitioner, described the case as extremely serious. He told the court that a woman advocate was “sexually mauled” and kept under illegal detention. He said, “This is a very gross case happening right around Delhi. If it is happening in Noida, just imagine the plight of the entire country.” He urged the court to take a firm view to send a clear signal.
Meanwhile, the bench observed that it would normally not entertain such a plea under Article 32 of the Constitution and would have asked the petitioner to approach the jurisdictional high court. However, the court noted that it was already dealing with a separate case on the installation and functioning of CCTV cameras at police stations. Therefore, considering the serious allegations and the claim that CCTV cameras were blocked during the incident, the bench decided to entertain the petition.
The court recorded, “However, considering the serious allegations made in the petition, and the fact that the issue also relates to blocking of CCTV cameras for the duration of the incident at the police station, we are entertaining this petition. Issue notice, returnable on January 7.” It further added, “In the meantime, the Commissioner of Police, Gautam Buddh Nagar, is directed to ensure that the CCTV footage of the concerned police station for the concerned duration is not destroyed or deleted and is kept in a sealed cover.”
After the order, Singh raised concerns about the petitioner’s safety. The bench responded, “They will dare not touch her after passing of this order.” During the hearing, Singh also said the CCTV cameras should be immediately seized and alleged that the complainant was beaten and forced to withdraw a complaint. The plea further claimed threats, misuse of power, and failure to register an FIR, and sought a direction for investigation by an SIT or the CBI.
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