One very important order has now come out from Bombay High Court where court has directed Director General of Police to conduct full review of CCTV systems across all police stations in Maharashtra . And honestly,reason behind this order is making situation very uncomfortable for state police authorities .
This whole matter came up during hearing related to case filed by one Prashant Kokane,who alleged harassment by officials at Ghatkopar Police Station . Order was issued on July 15,2026 by bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad .
Kokane's situation is actually quite serious to understand. He had claimed that police officials pressured him to withdraw his complaints regarding bogus ration card and also initiated chapter proceedings against him without proper investigation . To support his allegations,he needed CCTV footage from March 17 to March 20,2025 . But when he formally requested preservation of that footage on April 15,2025,police station simply did not act on that request.
And by the time matter reached court,footage was already gone . Reason given was that Ghatkopar Police Station only retains CCTV recordings for six months . So evidence Kokane needed to prove his own harassment had simply disappeared.
This is where things get really uncomfortable.
Three key points standing out clearly from this case:
- Bombay High Court has directed DGP to assess functioning of CCTV systems across police stations statewide.
- Ghatkopar Police Station's six-month retention period is now under serious scrutiny after footage relevant to Kokane's case became unavailable .
- Court noted that state had earlier given assurances about extended storage capabilities but those previous directives were apparently ignored.
Bench highlighted that court had already issued directives in 2022 regarding enhanced CCTV coverage and storage capacity,with clear expectation that recordings should be preserved for at least 18 months . Ghatkopar station's failure to comply with those earlier instructions is exactly what bench expressed deep concern about during hearing.
DGP has now been ordered to report back to court on operational status of CCTV systems across all police stations and measures taken to implement those 2022 guidelines on data retention . Next hearing is scheduled for August 10,2026,where court will evaluate DGP's findings.
Honestly,what makes this case so significant is not just one missing footage from one police station . It is the larger pattern it points toward. If citizen formally requests preservation of evidence in April and station does nothing,and footage disappears by default… that is not just negligence,that is very serious gap in accountability system.
And in situations like Kokane's,where person is already alleging police harassment,losing access to CCTV evidence puts that person in extremely vulnerable position . Police denies everything,evidence is gone,and victim is left with no way to prove what happened inside that station.
Local legal observers are watching this development closely because implications for police accountability across Maharashtra could be quite far reaching if DGP's review actually results in real systemic changes . But whether that review will produce genuine compliance or just another set of assurances to court on August 10,2026… that question is still very much open right now.
