Supreme Court Orders Safety Audit of Delhi’s Vulnerable Areas for Women, Children
The teams must use National Crime Records Bureau data, local intelligence, complaints and records of previous incidents to identify locations at risk.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to set up district-level teams to identify places where women and children face a heightened risk of crime.
Taking suo motu cognisance of reports of sexual offences across Delhi-NCR, the court said the cases pointed to a systemic failure of law enforcement and civil authorities to ensure public safety.
A bench comprising Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice K. Vinod Chandran ordered the commissioner to constitute a team for each police district within four weeks.
Each team must be headed by an officer of at least deputy superintendent of police rank and conduct an immediate survey of vulnerable areas.
The teams must use National Crime Records Bureau data, local intelligence, complaints and records of previous incidents to identify locations at risk.
They must examine poor lighting, inadequate surveillance and patrolling, abandoned structures and other deficiencies.
The court directed them to prepare district-wise vulnerability maps and share them with adjoining police stations so that information on recurring crimes and habitual offenders is not confined to one jurisdiction.
It also directed the deployment of appropriate patrols and security arrangements in identified parks and other vulnerable areas, particularly in the evenings and early mornings.
The court asked the authorities to report on the functioning in Delhi of the 112 emergency response number, the 181 women’s helpline and the Safe City Project, including the extent of CCTV coverage.
It also sought a comprehensive status report on safety arrangements in parks, on roads, in public transport and markets, near educational institutions and in other places frequented by women and children.
The report must address whether those arrangements remain effective at different times of day.
The bench asked Delhi Police how it uses the National Database on Sexual Offenders, including whether officers consult it to check antecedents and identify repeat offenders.
It sought the number of times the database had been used in investigations over the past five years and details of any system for using its information in lawful preventive measures.
The court referred to the alleged sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Mandir on September 21; the alleged sexual assault and killing of a 17-year-old girl in Swaroop Nagar; and the alleged sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl aboard a sleeper bus travelling from Greater Noida to Delhi on August 4. Two accused in the bus case have been arrested.
The bench said the reports drew painful parallels with the 2012 Nirbhaya case and raised questions about whether law enforcement systems had improved meaningfully since then.
“The right to live with dignity, free from the fear of violence, is an intrinsic facet of the fundamental guarantee of life and personal liberty enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution,” the court said.
Expressions of concern by public officials were insufficient without accountability, the bench said.
“What is required is a measurable response, with responsibility and accountability fixed upon the authorities entrusted with prevention of crime, maintenance of public order and protection of vulnerable persons.”
The state had an obligation to keep public spaces safe and accessible for everyone while paying particular attention to the risks faced by children, women and sexual minorities, the court said.