SC: Nation Won't Tolerate Custodial Violence, Deaths

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said custodial violence and death is a "blot "on the system, and the country will not tolerate this.

- Press Trust Of India

While hearing a suo motu case concerning lack of functional CCTVs in police stations, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta referred to its order passed in the matter and said 11 deaths were reported in police custody in eight months in Rajasthan.

"Now this country will not tolerate this. This is a blot on the system. You can't have deaths in custody,” the bench said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said nobody can even justify or attempt to justify custodial deaths.

The bench also questioned the Centre as to why it has not filed compliance affidavit in the matter.

"The Union is taking this court very lightly.Why?" Justice Nath asked.

Mehta said he was not appearing in the suo motu matter but nobody can take the court lightly.

He said the Centre would file the compliance affidavit within three weeks.

In September, the apex court had taken suo motu cognisance of a media report which stated that 11 lives were lost in police custody in Rajasthan in the first eight months of 2025, of which seven incidents occurred in the Udaipur division.

In a separate matter, the apex court had in 2018 ordered installation of CCTV cameras in police stations to check human rights abuses.