Guwahati: The Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of recent cases of sexual assault involving minors and women in the Delhi-NCR region, seeking a response from the Delhi Police over concerns surrounding public safety.
A bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran took note of media reports on the alleged rape of a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj Park near Kalkaji, the alleged gang rape of a minor in Swaroop Nagar and the sexual assault of another minor on a bus travelling from Greater Noida to Delhi.
The court expressed concern over the recurrence of such incidents and drew a comparison with the 2012 Nirbhaya case, questioning whether sufficient lessons had been learned from the tragedy.
The bench observed that the incidents had taken place in different public settings, including a park, a road and a bus. It said public spaces such as parks, roads, buses, Metro stations and subways should not become high-risk areas because of inadequate patrolling or surveillance.
The court also raised concerns over security lapses highlighted in reports about the Aastha Kunj incident. It noted that students of Lady Shri Ram College had previously raised complaints about sexual harassment, but those concerns had not resulted in adequate corrective measures or improved surveillance.
While acknowledging the statements issued by public authorities and law enforcement agencies following such incidents, the bench said the cases pointed to what it described as a systemic failure of law enforcement and public administrative authorities to ensure public safety.
The court stressed that expressions of concern alone would not be sufficient and called for concrete action and accountability from those responsible for maintaining public safety.
The bench said effective measures and accountability were necessary to ensure that people, particularly women and children, can use public spaces without fear of violence.