Tripura High Court Orders Strict CCTV Compliance at All Police Stations After Assault Case, SIT Findings Recorded Against Two Accused
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, September 17, 2026
The High Court of Tripura has disposed of WP(Crl.) No.06 of 2026, Ratna Roy v. The State of Tripura & Others, after recording the investigation and departmental action arising out of the alleged assault, humiliation and torture of the petitioner’s son, Saikat Saha, inside the East Agartala Police Station on the intervening nights of April 4 and 5, 2026. While disposing of the case, the Division Bench also issued important directions for strict implementation of the Supreme Court’s CCTV guidelines in all police stations across the State.
The judgment was delivered on September 17, 2026, by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice MS Ramachandra Rao and Justice Biswajit Palit. The matter had been heard on September 1, 2026, and the Court marked the judgment as Fit for Reporting.
The petitioner in the case is Ratna Roy, wife of Sankar Saha, a resident of Banamalipur, Agartala. The respondents included the State of Tripura represented by the Secretary, Department of Home, the Director General of Police, Tripura, the Superintendent of Police, West Tripura District, the Officer-in-Charge of East Agartala Police Station, the Officer-in-Charge of East Agartala Women Police Station, the Agartala Municipal Corporation represented by its Commissioner, and Rabindranath Ghosh, an employee of the Agartala Municipal Corporation.
Senior Advocate Purushottam Roy Barman and Advocate Samarjit Bhattacharjee appeared for the petitioner. The respondents were represented by Advocate General Saktimoy Chakraborti, Public Prosecutor Raju Datta, Advocate Pinki Chakraborty and Advocate Priyanka Chakraborty.
According to the judgment, the matter originated from an incident on April 4, 2026, when Saikat Saha, son of the petitioner, was allegedly forcibly taken to East Agartala Police Station by Rabindranath Ghosh, an employee of the Agartala Municipal Corporation, and Joy Debnath, described in the judgment as a Special Police Officer. The Court recorded allegations that Saikat Saha was assaulted, humiliated and tortured in the presence of police personnel during the intervening nights of April 4 and 5.
CCTV footage from inside the police station became a crucial element in the proceedings. The High Court had ordered the seizure of the CCTV recordings on May 6, 2026. Subsequently, on May 14, 2026, the Court constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by an Inspector General of Police to investigate the allegations.
The SIT submitted its report on June 16, 2026. The High Court recorded that the report prima facie confirmed the allegations made by the petitioner against Rabindranath Ghosh and Joy Debnath. The Home Secretary, Government of Tripura, also filed a counter-affidavit informing the Court that police officials of East Agartala Police Station had been issued show-cause notices, placed under suspension and subjected to departmental proceedings.
The judgment further records that the services of Rabindranath Ghosh and Joy Debnath appeared to have subsequently been terminated, and that a charge sheet had been filed against both of them before the jurisdictional criminal court. The criminal proceedings are separate from the writ petition before the High Court, and the judgment does not record any conviction against either of the two accused.
The High Court had earlier passed a detailed order on July 2, 2026, observing that it was desirable for the Court to monitor the investigation being conducted by the SIT. When the matter was taken up again on August 25, 2026, the Bench considered the SIT status report dated August 21, 2026. The report indicated that a charge sheet had been filed against both accused in the jurisdictional Criminal Court after a final report had stated that the case was non-cognizable.
The Court had also directed the respondents to inform it about the action taken against the Officer-in-Charge of East Agartala Police Station and the police personnel who were on duty at the police station when the alleged assault occurred. An affidavit dated August 29, 2026, filed by the Deputy Secretary of the Home Department, stated that articles of charge had been framed against the Officer-in-Charge and other policemen after they were placed under suspension, and that the departmental proceedings were continuing.
The availability of CCTV footage became a major factor in the Court’s consideration of the case. The Bench observed that it had been able to intervene effectively because CCTV footage was available showing what had happened inside East Agartala Police Station during the relevant period.
The Court, however, noted that a similar issue had arisen in W.P.(Crl.) No.10 of 2026, Smt. Lipika Lodh v. The State of Tripura & Others, where an assault inside a police station was alleged but CCTV footage was unavailable. During that hearing, the Court was informed that the CCTV system inside that police station had remained non-functional for three days before and three days after the alleged incident. The Bench therefore decided to address the larger issue of ensuring that CCTV systems in police stations remain functional at all times.
For this purpose, the High Court relied upon the Supreme Court judgment in Paramvir Singh Saini v. Baljit Singh & Others, decided on December 2, 2020, in Special Leave Petition (Criminal) No.3543 of 2020. The Supreme Court had directed all State and Union Territory Governments to ensure installation of CCTV cameras in every police station.
The Supreme Court directions cover entry and exit points, the main gate, lock-ups, corridors, lobby and reception areas, verandas and outhouses, the Inspector’s room, Sub-Inspector’s room, areas outside lock-ups, station halls, the area in front of the police station, outside washrooms, the Duty Officer’s room and other relevant areas. The CCTV systems are also required to have night-vision capability and audio as well as video recording.
The Court also highlighted the Supreme Court’s requirement concerning preservation of CCTV footage. The recording systems should be capable of preserving data for 18 months. Where equipment available in the market cannot store footage for 18 months, the authorities are required to purchase equipment capable of storing data for the maximum period possible, but in no case less than one year, with the objective of moving to 18-month storage when such equipment becomes commercially available.
The Supreme Court had further placed responsibility for the functioning, maintenance and recording of CCTV systems on the Station House Officer of the concerned police station, while requiring adequate funding from the State or Union Territory Finance Department. In case of malfunctioning, the SHO is required to immediately inform the District Level Oversight Committee and provide details of arrests and interrogations conducted during the period when the CCTV system was not functioning.
The Director General or Inspector General of Police of each State and Union Territory is also required to issue directions to police-station heads regarding checking the working condition of CCTV cameras, taking corrective measures, maintaining CCTV data and ensuring backups.
In its September 17 judgment, the Tripura High Court directed that these Supreme Court directions in Paramvir Singh Saini v. Baljit Singh & Others must be implemented “in letter and spirit.” The Court specifically made the Officer-in-Charge of each police station responsible for the working, maintenance and recording of CCTV systems. Where cameras are non-functional, the Officer-in-Charge must inform the District Level Oversight Committee (DLOC) and forward details of arrests and interrogations carried out during the period of malfunction. The DLOC must then immediately request the State Level Oversight Committee (SLOC) to arrange repair or replacement of the equipment.
The Bench ultimately reiterated its earlier orders and disposed of W.P.(Crl.) No.06 of 2026. The judgment thus not only records the action taken following the allegations involving Saikat Saha but also places renewed emphasis on functional CCTV surveillance, preservation of recordings and accountability of police-station authorities in Tripura.
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