Jail CCTV Failures Spark Rights Court Scrutiny

Authorities at Ajmer's high-security jail have informed the Rajasthan High Court about significant disruptions to its CCTV system caused by recurrent UPS failures and server shutdowns. Despite these issues, jail officials stated that 258 of the 319 cameras are currently functioning. The jail superintendent had reportedly sent nearly 20 letters since the beginning of 2026 to relevant departments regarding these technical problems.

These disclosures were made during the hearing of a public interest litigation concerning prisoners' rights and jail conditions across Rajasthan. The court had specifically requested details on non-functional cameras following an incident on June 29 where an inmate, Jagan Gujjar, was allegedly killed. The court has now issued a directive to the directors of DOIT and RAJCOMP Info Services Ltd to expedite all pending maintenance requests from jails statewide.

In an October 26 judgment, a division bench noted that court-monitored proceedings since 2008 have spurred major reforms. However, the Ajmer incident highlighted the necessity of continuous oversight and robust technical support to uphold prison reform directives. The authorities were granted a three-month deadline to install proposed CCTV cameras, repair defective ones identified in an October 29, 2025, report, and ensure reliable storage and backup systems for all prison facilities.