The Supreme Court on Monday directed its registry to initiate suo motu proceedings over rape and sexual assault cases reported in Delhi-NCR, including the alleged gang rape of a teenager at a public park in southeast Delhi.
A Bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and Vinod Chandran asked the registry to register a suo motu public interest litigation and place the matter before the court for consideration.
The Bench said the recent incidents raised serious concerns about the effectiveness of law enforcement and public safety mechanisms in the National Capital Region. Justice Pardiwala drew a comparison with the 2012 Nirbhaya case and questioned whether sufficient systemic improvements had been made since then.
The court was responding to reports of the September 21 incident in which a 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped at Astha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Mandir by three men who allegedly posed as police officers. Media reports have indicated that at least 13 cases of sexual assault have been reported in Delhi during September.
The Bench said the recurrence of such incidents pointed to deficiencies in the functioning of agencies responsible for public safety and law enforcement.
The court observed that the constitutional guarantee of life and personal liberty under Article 21 encompasses the right to live with dignity and without the constant threat of violence.
It said public places such as parks, roads, public transport facilities, metro stations, subways and footbridges must not become unsafe because of inadequate lighting, surveillance, police patrolling or other avoidable administrative shortcomings.
The Bench also questioned the adequacy of statements issued by public authorities and elected representatives following such incidents. While acknowledging that expressions of concern were understandable, it said they could not substitute for institutional accountability.
“Expressing solidarity is not a solution to this social evil,” the court said.
The Bench called for concrete and measurable measures to address public safety and sought accountability from authorities responsible for preventing crime, maintaining public order and protecting vulnerable persons.
