- Supreme Court initiates action on recent Delhi-NCR sexual assaults.
- Court cites specific incidents, including minors and women victims.
- SC flags security gaps, recalls Nirbhaya case parallels.
- Delhi Police response sought on public safety concerns.
The Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of recent instances of sexual assault against minors and women in the Delhi-NCR region and sought a response from the Delhi Police.
A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran took note of news reports concerning the recent rape of a 17-year-old at Aastha Kunj park near Lady Shri Ram College, the alleged gang rape of a minor in Swaroop Nagar and the sexual assault of another minor inside a bus travelling from Greater Noida to Delhi.
The court expressed concern over repeated incidents of sexual violence and questioned whether adequate lessons had been learnt from the 2012 Nirbhaya case.
‘Painful Parallel To Nirbhaya Case’
Taking serious note of the incidents, the bench said, “One cannot help but draw a painful parallel to the 2012 Nirbhaya case and wonder whether lessons have been learnt.”
The court observed that incidents of sexual assault continued to occur across the NCR despite the expectation of safety in public spaces. It emphasised that the right to live with dignity and without violence is protected as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution.
The bench noted that the reported incidents took place in different public settings, including a park, a road and a bus.
SC Flags Patrolling, Surveillance Gaps
“Public spaces, include parks, roads, buses, Metro stations, subways, etc cannot be made zones of high risk due to poor patrolling and lack of surveillance,” the court said.
The bench also raised concerns about security lapses around Aastha Kunj. It noted that news reports had highlighted complaints by students of Lady Shri Ram College regarding incidents of sexual harassment in the area.
“Regrettably, these complaints failed to rectify the security lapses through advanced surveillance,” the court observed.
The Supreme Court has sought a response from the Delhi Police on the incidents and the broader concerns surrounding the safety of women and minors in public spaces across the national capital region.
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