CHENNAI: Grilling the government over its failure to allocate funds to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to upgrade CCTV systems with storage lasting up to 18 months, instead of the existing 15 days period, the Madras High Court on Thursday directed the secretary of human resources management (HRM) department to file a report in court.
Justice V Lakshminarayanan issued the direction while hearing a petition filed by a suspended sub-inspector, A Saravanakumar, formerly attached to the Civil Supplies-CID, Salem, seeking directions to DVAC to furnish him the CCTV footage and CDR details in connection with a DVAC FIR registered against him and three other personnel including an inspector.
He posed repeated questions to Additional Public Prosecutor Arun Anbumani on the non-compliance of the Supreme Court order in Paramveer Singh Saini case directing authorities concerned to ensure coverage of police stations with CCTV surveillance and storing the data for 18 months.
“This court directs the secretary of HRM department to file an affidavit stating as to why funds are not allotted to DVAC to comply with the Supreme Court orders in the Paramveer Singh Saini case,” he said in the order.
The judge also wanted the secretary to submit the time required for enhancing the recording and storage for 18 months. The directions were issued to the HRM secretary after the APP informed the court that DVAC falls under this department and blamed the previous government of not allotting funds. He added that law officers of the incumbent government have to bear the brunt of inaction by the previous government.
Referring to the submissions, the judge orally remarked that the court was not bothered about the government in power, adding that blaming the previous government for such inaction is nothing but “casual bureaucratic language without doing anything”.
He also said the government is “trying to sidestep the directions of SC” and stressed that the court wanted the apex court’s order to be implemented in letter and spirit.