PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed the Superintendent of Police (North Goa) to investigate the deletion of CCTV footage from establishments allegedly charged with violating noise regulations.
During the hearing of a contempt petition regarding violations of noise regulations in North Goa, it was revealed that 22 night clubs/ establishments claimed their systems automatically delete footage older than a month.
The petitioner had alleged that 22 establishments played loud music beyond the permitted 10 pm deadline in December 2024 – the month that witnessed numerous late-night parties, Christmas and New Year celebrations.
The Court thereafter directed the SP to determine the reason behind the deletion of the footage and whether it could be retrieved. The Bench also directed the police to ensure that past months’ CCTV footage is preserved for future hearings while directing the SP to submit an affidavit within two weeks.
In a separate matter concerning the inclusion of two names in the noise monitoring committee, the government submitted two names to the court, as no consensus was reached among respondents and interveners to names submitted by the petitioner. This hearing is slated for Wednesday.
During the previous hearing, the High Court ordered authorities to strictly ensure that no outdoor music is played beyond 10 pm. The Bench specifically instructed Anjuna police station to obtain CCTV footage from December 2024 to verify allegations that establishments had violated the noise restrictions. The noise pollution monitoring committee was further asked to report on the steps it undertook to enforce earlier orders.
In an affidavit, Anjuna police had submitted they received 252 complaints regarding noise pollution between December 16, 2024 and January 5, 2025. They claimed that all complaints were investigated with inspections carried out by police officials to monitor and curb noise pollution. Special Loud Music Checking Teams also patrolled Anjuna’s nightclubs to ensure there were no violations.
