The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Union Government to explore using funds already available under the Assistance to States and Union Territories for Modernisation of Police (ASUMP) scheme to address shortfalls in CCTV infrastructure at police stations, rather than allowing the funds to remain unused pending the launch of a new police modernisation scheme.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta while hearing a suo motu case concerning the lack of functional CCTV cameras in police stations across the country.
Amicus Curiae Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave referred to the Centre’s August 31 affidavit, which stated that ASUMP would continue till March 31, 2027, while the Ministry of Home Affairs was working on the proposed Police Modernisation Mission (PMM), a Rs 24,000-crore umbrella scheme planned for five years.
The Centre has said PMM will include provisions for CCTV cameras in police stations. However, Justice Mehta questioned why existing ASUMP funds should remain unused in the meantime.
The Court questioned why existing funds under the ASUMP scheme were being allowed to sit idle, emphasizing that they should instead be used to modernize the current system. The Bench asked the Additional Solicitor General Raja Thakare to obtain instructions on whether available ASUMP funds could be utilised to meet the CCTV shortfalls identified by States.
The Court also sought specific information on Jharkhand, whose Rs 112.50-crore proposal for a centralised CCTV monitoring system was found by the Centre to be non-compliant with Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) standards.
Dave told the Court that Jharkhand had not had “one CCTV since 2020”. The Centre said it was awaiting a revised proposal from the State.
According to the affidavit, Rs 450 crore was available under ASUMP as of August 1, 2026, of which Rs 225 crore had been utilised. States and UTs have submitted CCTV-related proposals worth Rs 1,453.85 crore, but only Rs 484.03 crore has been approved, while Rs 155.57 crore remains under consideration.
The issue of funding and maintenance has repeatedly been raised before the Court, with the Bench earlier warning that CCTV systems could become defunct without adequate maintenance. The Court directed the ASG to obtain further instructions within two weeks and listed the matter thereafter.
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