PANAJI
The Additional Sessions Court, South Goa, on Saturday partly allowed an application filed by suspended police inspector Sunil Gudlar seeking to preserve the CCTV footage from the Konkan Railway Police Station at Margao.
Additional Sessions Judge Pooja Kavlekar directed the Dy Superintendent of Konkan Railway Police Station, Margao, to preserve CCTV footage of all cameras on the ground floor and outside the station for the two days when Gudlar and a head constable were caught for the alleged bribe.
Gudlar had moved the application, claiming that the footage would prove he was not present at the police station when the trap was laid. Advocate A Sail, along with advocates Galileo Teles and N Rai, appearing for the petitioner, argued that the CCTV recordings were crucial to ensure a fair trial.
Public prosecutor D Korgaonkar, representing the respondents, opposed the plea, stating that the investigation was at a preliminary stage and the footage could be supplied only after the filing of the chargesheet.
The court held that while the accused is entitled to rely on CCTV footage as evidence, the proper stage to seek a copy is after the filing of the chargesheet.
“The application is partly allowed. The custodian of the CCTV footage, namely the Dy Superintendent of Konkan Railway Police Station, Margao, is directed to preserve the CCTV footage of all the cameras on the ground floor and outside the Konkan Railway Police Station, Margao, for a period between 6 pm of April 21, 2025 till 2 pm of April 22, 2025 till the filing of the final report in FIR No. 1 of 2025,” the order reads.
The court clarified that the accused may apply for a copy of the footage through due process if a chargesheet is filed in the case.
