Need to instill fear in minds of sexual offenders: SC
What's the story
The Supreme Court has told the Delhi police to be harsh if needed while hearing a suo motu case on recent rape incidents in Delhi-NCR. "There appears to be a feeling that women are not safe in the city, particularly in some vulnerable pockets," it observed. It asked authorities to focus on preventing crimes rather than just responding after they occur, adding they need to create fear in the minds of goons and anti-social elements prone to committing such crimes.
Judge
'Unless you don't create such fright in the minds...'
"Unless you don't create such fright in the minds if the criminals ki ab kuch kiya toh mar jayengey (if we commit such a crime we will die) you will not be able to prevent such crimes," said Justice JB Pardiwala.
"You need to create a fright, a fear in the mind of a man who is prone to commit such offenses," the judge said.
Safety concerns
Every woman should feel safe in Delhi: SC
The Supreme Court emphasized that every woman should feel safe using public spaces and transport in Delhi.
"We must ensure every woman in NCT Delhi feels safe, whether walking at 10pm or traveling by metro or road," a bench led by Justice Pardiwala said.
The court also questioned the effectiveness of surveillance infrastructure, asking, "How would a CCTV prevent a crime if there's no continuous monitoring, and how would the crime be prevented if there's no war room?"
Legal action
Court lists recent rape cases
The court's intervention comes amid several cases involving women and minors in the NCR.
Last week, the SC took suo motu cognizance of incidents such as the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj Park near Kalkaji.
Other cases include the alleged gang rape of a minor in Swaroop Nagar and the alleged sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl inside a bus traveling from Greater Noida to Delhi.
Safety audit
Bench draws parallels to 2012 Nirbhaya case
During that proceeding, the court stressed that public spaces like parks, roads, and buses shouldn't become "zones of high risk."
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.