'Painful parallels to Nirbhaya incident': SC on recent Delhi-NCR rapes
What's the story
The Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu cognizance of recent rape incidents in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). The move comes after a series of sexual offenses, including a gangrape in a park and the alleged assault of a minor inside a moving sleeper bus, which the court said drew "painful parallels to the Nirbhaya incident." A bench comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice K Vinod Chandran expressed concern over these recurring crimes and emphasized the need for accountability.
Historical comparison
Bench draws parallels to 2012 Nirbhaya case
The bench stated that these cases raise the question of whether systematic law enforcement systems have made any significant progress after the Nirbhaya case of 2012.
"These incidents...starkly underline a systematic failure on the part of the law enforcement and the public administrative authorities to guarantee basic public safety," the bench observed.
The court's observations were made in light of a recent gangrape near Kalkaji temple, where a teenage girl was allegedly raped by three men posing as policemen.
SC
Public spaces should not become 'zones of high risk': SC
It said that the right to live with dignity free from the fear of violence is an "intrinsic facet of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution."
The court emphasized that public spaces must not become high-risk zones due to inadequate security measures.
It said public spaces, including roads, parks, buses cannot be permitted to become "zones of high risk" due to grossly inadequate illumination, poor surveillance, lack of patrolling, and other preventable administrative deficiencies.
Security concerns
Bench directs registration of suo motu case
The bench also pointed out that expressions of solidarity by public authorities are insufficient without accountability.
"Expressions of solidarity devoid of accountability fall short of answering the larger institutional question. Expressing solidarity is not a solution to this social evil."
"What is required is a measurable response with the responsibility and accountability fixed upon authorities entrusted with the prevention of crimes," the bench observed.
The court has directed that a suo motu case be registered to examine these issues further.