The Supreme Court issued notice in a writ petition alleging sexual assault on a practising woman lawyer inside a police station, while directing the Commissioner of Police, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Noida, to preserve the CCTV footage of the concerned police station for the relevant period in a sealed cover.
The case arose from allegations by a practising woman lawyer that she was illegally detained for nearly 14 hours at a Noida police station, where she was allegedly subjected to sexual assault, physical abuse, and coercion by police personnel after she went to the station to assist an injured client and insisted on registration of an FIR.
A Bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice N.V. Anjaria, while entertaining the petition under Article 32, has observed that it would ordinarily have directed the petitioner to approach the jurisdictional High Court; however, the nature of the allegations, particularly concerning CCTV footage, warranted the Court’s intervention. The Bench noted that it is already monitoring the installation and proper functioning of CCTV cameras at police stations, especially in light of repeated incidents emerging from the State of Rajasthan.
Issuing notice to the respondents, returnable on January 7, 2026, the Court passed interim directions to safeguard the concerned CCTV footage. The Court has directed the Commissioner of Police, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Noida, to ensure that the CCTV footage of the concerned police station for the relevant period is neither destroyed nor deleted, and is preserved in a sealed cover.
Appearances
Petitioner: Senior Advocate Vikas Singh, Senior Advocate Mahalakshmi Pavni, Anilendra Pandey, AOR
Respondents- –
