India, Dec. 20 -- The Supreme Court on Friday sought an explanation from the Noida police and ordered the preservation of CCTV footage from a police station after a woman lawyer alleged that she was illegally detained, sexually assaulted, tortured and threatened by officers while performing her professional duties.

A bench comprising justices Vikram Nath and NV Anjaria issued notices to the Union government, the Uttar Pradesh government and the Uttar Pradesh Police on the plea, and ordered the Commissioner of Police, Gautam Buddh Nagar, to ensure that the CCTV footage for the relevant period at Sector 126 police station is not deleted and is kept in sealed cover.

The court said it was entertaining the petition despite its usual reluctan...