GUWAHATI: The Supreme Court on Monday, September 28, took suo motu cognizance of recent cases involving women and minors in Delhi-NCR, raising concerns over public safety and the functioning of law-enforcement agencies.
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A bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice K Vinod Chandran referred to multiple recent incidents, including a case involving a minor inside a moving sleeper bus that travelled around 47 km from Greater Noida to Delhi before being intercepted.
The Court also referred to a case involving a teenage girl in Swarup Nagar, Delhi, as well as other recent reports from across the National Capital Region.
The bench said the incidents raised questions about whether law-enforcement mechanisms had made meaningful progress since the 2012 Nirbhaya case, drawing what it described as “painful parallels” to that incident.
The Court stressed that roads, parks, buses, metro stations, subways and footbridges must not become high-risk public spaces because of inadequate lighting, surveillance, patrolling or other preventable administrative gaps.
The bench further said that statements expressing concern or solidarity were not enough and called for measurable action and accountability from authorities responsible for public order and public safety.
