Ranchi: The Jharkhand high court on Thursday issued a contempt notice to Director General of Police Tadasha Mishra for non-compliance with its order directing the installation of CCTV cameras in police stations across the state.A division bench of Chief Justice M S Sonak and Justice Rajesh Shankar, while hearing a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL), warned the chief secretary and home secretary to take the court’s orders seriously.The bench directed the two secretaries to file a status-cum-compliance report by Sept 30 on the installation of CCTV cameras in police stations.During the hearing, the bench was informed that CCTV cameras had not been installed in all police stations across the state. The court had earlier, on several occasions, directed the chief secretary and home secretary to ensure that the cameras were installed at the earliest. The state government had previously told the court that the installation work was under way and would be completed soon.The matter came before the court after Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha candidate Tarun Mahto was allegedly assaulted in police custody. The court initiated the suo motu PIL after receiving a letter addressed to the chief justice by Bhanumati Mahto, Tarun Mahto’s wife.Mahto had contested the 2024 Assembly elections from the Ichagarh constituency in Seraikela. A member of the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha, he was picked up by Ichagarh police on November 19, 2025. He was kept in custody at the police station and allegedly tortured.Bhanumati later wrote to the chief justice, informing him of her husband’s alleged illegal detention and torture at Ichagarh police station. The PIL was instituted on the basis of her letter.
