Supreme Court Seeks Report on Safety of Women and Children in Delhi-NCR

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of reports of sexual offences against girls and women in Delhi-NCR and sought a report on measures to keep public spaces safe.

The bench said the reported incidents raised serious questions about the response of law enforcement and civil authorities.

A bench comprising Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice K. Vinod Chandran referred to three alleged offences: the gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj Park in Delhi; the gangrape and murder of a teenage girl in Swaroop Nagar; and the sexual assault of a minor girl on a sleeper bus travelling from Greater Noida to Delhi.

The court said the cases invited painful comparisons with the 2012 Nirbhaya case and raised the question of whether public safety systems had improved meaningfully since then.

It sought a comprehensive status report on security 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 the arrangements remain effective during peak hours, late evenings and early mornings, when visibility and footfall may be lower.

The bench also asked how Delhi Police uses the National Database on Sexual Offenders.

It sought details of whether officers regularly consult it to check antecedents and identify repeat offenders, how often it had been used in investigations over the past five years, and whether information from it informs lawful preventive measures.

According to reports cited by the court, three men allegedly posed as police personnel before sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Mandir on September 21.

In another case, a 16-year-old girl who boarded a sleeper bus in Greater Noida on August 4 was allegedly sexually assaulted by the driver and conductor and abandoned near Kashmere Gate.

Both accused have been arrested.

A 17-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted and stabbed to death in Swaroop Nagar.

The court said the right to live with dignity and without fear of violence was part of the constitutional guarantee of life and personal liberty.

Public spaces could not be allowed to become unsafe because of inadequate lighting, surveillance or patrolling, it said.

“Expressing solidarity is not the solution to this social evil.

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 bench said.