The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed that the principal home secretaries and directors-general of police would have to be personally present before it on December 16 if by then the states and Union Territories do not comply with its order of installing CCTV cameras at police stations.

A bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta passed the directions after noting that only 11 states have so far filed compliance reports. The court wants CCTV cameras installed at all police stations to check rising incidents of custodial deaths and violence against suspects.

Solicitor-general Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, sought a three-week adjournment on Tuesday to enable the states and UTs to file their compliance reports.

The bench passed the following order: “We... grant three weeks’ time to all the States/ Union Territories, who have not filed their compliance affidavits. List these matters on 16th December, 2025. By the said date compliance affidavits be filed.

“If by the said date the affidavits are not filed, the Principal Secretary, Department of Home Affairs of the concerned States/ Union Territories/ the Directors General of Police… of the respective agencies shall remain present before this Court on the next date to explain the non-compliance.”

The bench had passed the earlier direction while taking suo motu cognisance of a custodial death case in Punjab and appointed senior advocate Siddharth Dave as amicus curiae.