Published May 18, 2026 | 4:09 PM ⚊ Updated May 18, 2026 | 4:09 PM
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Synopsis: The Karnataka police have issued a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for investigating custodial violence and custodial deaths, six months after two high-profile cases of custodial violence in Bengaluru. The SOP mandates immediate FIR registration, preservation of CCTV and forensic evidence, and time-bound investigations. It also lays down procedures for magisterial inquiries, autopsies, and prosecution sanctions.
The Karnataka police have issued a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to ensure uniform and time-bound investigation into cases of custodial violence and custodial deaths, seeking to address concerns over lapses in evidence collection and delays in registering cases.
The SOP, issued under Standing Order 1060, was issued by Director General and Inspector General of Police Dr MA Saleem on 16 May.
The order follows nearly six months after two high-profile incidents of custodial violence in Bengaluru.
It noted that investigations conducted by local police officers in such cases had often suffered from “technical lapses”, including delayed filing of FIRs, delayed mahazars, and failure to secure critical physical and digital evidence. It added that by the time the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) took over investigations, key evidence had sometimes become “irreversible and deteriorated”, hampering the judicial process.
The SOP directs all police officers and CID investigators in the State to follow a uniform process in cases involving allegations of custodial violence or deaths of persons in police or judicial custody.
Police stations are now required to immediately register a case if any person or woman in police custody, or any custody authorised by a magistrate or court, is found or alleged to have suffered custodial violence or custodial death.
The FIR can be based on a complaint by the victim, relatives, any other person, or even suo motu action by the police.
The officer in charge of the police station must immediately send an express report along with a copy of the FIR to the head of the unit and the police headquarters through proper channels.
Such cases shall be registered under Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nagarika Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.
Until the CID formally takes over the investigation, the SOP directs the head of the police unit to ensure an impartial probe by appointing an officer of at least Deputy Superintendent of Police rank under the proviso to Section 175(1) of the BNSS.
Local investigation officers have also been directed to conduct spot mahazars immediately under Sections 103 and 185 of the BNSS, collect and seize relevant physical and circumstantial evidence through audio-video documentation under Section 105, and secure CCTV footage from the police station concerned.
Investigators have further been directed to record the victim’s statement through audio-video means and ensure statements are recorded under Section 183 of the BNSS. Medical examination reports of the victim must also be collected.
Once the CID takes over such investigations, CID officers have been instructed to verify earlier investigation records, revisit the crime scene, re-examine witnesses to confirm their statements, and collect documentary and digital evidence, including CCTV footage, DVRs, NVRs, and call detail records.
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The SOP also empowers CID officers to seize mobile phones and electronic devices if necessary and obtain expert medical opinions.
If chargesheets are to be filed against police personnel, the CID officer must seek prosecution sanction under Section 218 of the BNSS and Section 170 of the Karnataka Police Act before filing the final report in court.
In custodial death cases, the SOP mandates immediate requisition to the jurisdictional judicial magistrate under Section 196 of the BNSS for conducting an inquest and magisterial inquiry.
It also requires that inquest proceedings and autopsies be conducted under videography coverage and in compliance with Supreme Court directions and rules governing unnatural deaths.
The SOP directs investigating officers to involve forensic experts at the earliest stage, ensure collection of biological and physical evidence, and send samples to the Forensic Science Laboratory within two days.
CCTV footage from the police station must also be seized according to law. Statements of relatives and witnesses must be recorded, including under Section 183 of the BNSS where applicable.
The SOP further requires CID investigators to collect post-mortem reports, magisterial inquiry reports, medical opinions, and all relevant records related to the case in which the deceased person was arrested or taken into custody.
The investigation must be conducted within prescribed time limits.
(Edited by Dese Gowda with inputs from Anisha Reddy)
