Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday is learnt to have directed the state government to make its position clear within a fortnight on the release of Rs 68 lakh sought for installing 75 CCTV cameras across the two campuses of Jadavpur University (JU).
A division bench of Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Smita Das De issued the directive while hearing petitions on campus security.
The court also asked JU authorities to submit a detailed report on the status of security measures, including steps taken to install the cameras. The university has been directed to seek expert advice on the locations inside the campuses where the surveillance system should be set up.
The proposal to introduce CCTV cameras in JU had been under consideration since 2023. In September last year, the university’s counsel had informed a bench comprising Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya that JU was facing a funds crunch.
The counsel had also pointed out that the state had demanded Rs 273 crore from the institution towards renewal of the lease of its property, adding to the financial pressure.
Petitioners in the matter had earlier sought the deployment of armed police personnel at the entry gates of the university in addition to surveillance cameras inside the campus.
On Tuesday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) filed applications seeking to be included as added parties in the case.
The division bench said it would consider their pleas and decide on the issue of inclusion.
The matter will now come up after the state government files its response on whether it is willing to release the
Rs 68 lakh needed for the installation of CCTV cameras at the university.