Gautam Mondal v. State Of West Bengal

18-02-2025 Ct. No.34 b.das CRR No. 04 of 2025 In the matter of :

Gautam Mondal. ..... petitioner. Mr. Sandipan Ganguly Mr. Manoj Malhotra Mr. Ravi Kr. Dubey Mr. Khalid Ali ...for the petitioner.

Mr. Joydeep Roy Mr. Prakash Mishra ...for the State.

The innocuous prayer of the petitioner is for preservation of the CCTV footage of Electronic Complex Police Station, Bidhannagar Commissionerate and the office of the Special Task Force, West Bengal, Nabadiganta Bhawan for the period 27th November, 2024 to 6th December, 2024. Such prayer made by the petitioner before the learned trial Court in N -15 of 2024 was rejected by the order passed on 12th December, 2024. In rejecting the prayer of the petitioner, the learned trial Court has held that the Court failed to understand how preservation of the CCTV footages would help the accused-petitioner to substantiate his defence.

The petitioner seeks preservation of the CCTV footages for the particular period of time. Whether the said footages shall be of any aid to the petitioner and to what extent, if any, shall be decided at the time of trial.

Learned counsel for the State has submitted that such footages are ordinarily preserved for a period of one year.

It is possible that the trial may not be completed within a year and the footages be destroyed prior to conclusion of the trial.

The order impugned dated 12th December, 2024 passed by the learned Additional Sessions Judge, 6th Court, Barasat in N-15 of 2024 was set aside/quashed. The State is directed to take necessary steps for preservation of the CCTV footage of Electronic Complex Police Station, Bidhannagar Commissionerate and the office of the Special Task Force, West Bengal, Nabadiganta Bhawan, Street No.21, Block GN, Sector V, Saltlake City, Kolkata 700 091 for the period 27th November, 2024 to 6th December, 2024 and submit a compliance report before the learned trial Court on the next date fixed before the learned trial Court.

The revisional application being CRR 4 of 2025 is disposed of.

Urgent certified website copy of the order, if applied for, be given to the parties on compliance of requisite formalities.

( Suvra Ghosh, J. )