Supreme Court takes suo motu cognisance of Delhi NCR rape cases, orders interim safety measures within four weeks

“ONE CANNOT HELP BUT DRAW painful parallels to the 2012 Nirbhaya case, calling into question whether systemic law enforcement mechanisms have made any meaningful progress in the decade since then,” said Supreme Court on September 28 while taking a suo moto cognisance of the recent rape cases in Delhi NCR to evaluate systemic, preventive, and monitoring frameworks currently in place to ensure safety in public spaces across Delhi-NCR.

The bench of Justices Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran adduced news reports of over past few weeks, including gang-rape of a 17-year old at Aastha Kunj Park, complaints of recurrent sexual harassment faced by students of Lady Shri Ram College for Women, gang rape and murder of a teenage girl in Swaroop Nagar, sexual assault of a minor girl inside a moving sleeper bus to express their distress and the systemic failure of law enforcement and civil administrative authorities to guarantee basic public safety. Senior counsel Liz Mathew was appointed as the amicus. 

“Public spaces, including parks, roads, buses, metro stations, subways, foot bridges, etc. cannot be permitted to become zones of high risk due to grossly inadequate illumination, poor surveillance, lax patrolling, or other preventable administrative deficiencies,” the bench said citing Article 21. 

The bench stressed upon the need for accountability fixed upon the authorities entrusted with prevention of crime, maintenance of public order and protection of vulnerable persons. The scope of the suo moto proceedings, the Court clarified, is not directed at assessing individual criminal culpability (which will be determined through trial), but at examining the broader institutional failures.

The Court has asked authorities to place before it a comprehensive status report regarding (i) the measures undertaken to ensure adequate safety and security arrangements in public places and other areas frequented by women and children; (ii) the manner in which the National Database on Sexual Offenders (‘NDSO’) is being utilised by the Delhi Police; (iii) the manner in which the Ministry of Home Affairs is utilising the Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (‘ITSSO’); (iv) operational status of Mission Shakti programme; and (v) functioning status of mechanisms referred to by Ministry of Women and Child Development in its June 2024 report. 

Further, the bench also ordered immediate interim measures to be undertaken within four weeks which include the constitution of police teams to identify locations of poor lighting, lack of surveillance, insufficient patrolling, etc, preparation of a district-wise vulnerability map, deployment of patrolling and security arrangements at public parks and vulnerable areas, and  audit and installment of CCTVs in vulnerable zones. The Court has also has directed the removal of black, tinted or solar-control films on vehicle windows which facilitates the commission of crimes. 

The Registrar General of Delhi High Court has also been asked to furnish information regarding the present status and functioning of the Fast Track Special Courts and Exclusive POCSO Courts in Delhi. 

The Court reminded media outlets of mindful and non-sensationalised reportage and asked for a dedicated column in the newspapers and a dedicated time in the electronic media to provide information of the protective devices and the telephone numbers, which could be accessed for immediate assistance in the event of a perceived threat.

The matter has been listed on October 5, 2026 for further directions. 

Background

As per the National Crime Records Bureau, which published its annual report of 2024 in 2026, over 1,058 cases of rape were registered in Delhi. According Delhi Police, on the other hand, the city recorded 1,901 rape cases in 2025 as against 2,076 in 2024 and 2,141 in 2023. 

This month itself, several stories pertaining to rape and sexual assault (of especially minors) emerged from the National Capital Region. 

On September 10, a 16-year-old girl was brutally gang-raped and repeatedly stabbed after going to meet an acquaintance in North Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar; her decomposed body was found dumped in a field. On the same day, it came to light that a four-year-old girl disclosed to her family that she had been sexually abused by her school-cab driver in West Delhi’s Ranhola area. 

On September 13, a nine-year-old girl was abducted while asleep at home and sexually assaulted by a 40-year-old neighbour in Swaroop Nagar.

Around a week later, on September 17, a girl was allegedly lured into a tailoring shop in Sadar Bazar, restrained, and sexually assaulted by the 56-year-old shopkeeper. 

September 21, a seven-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted in the Desh Bandhu Gupta Road area. That same day, a 17 year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by three men claiming to be policemen near Astha Kunj Park.  

Of course, these are incidents only in popular media; readers are encouraged to consider the possibility of multitudes of incidents which either go unreported or are overlooked. 

In the immediate response to the rape ate Astha Kunj Park, the authorities curbed access to public parks and a Lady Shri Ram College, which is located close to the site of the crime, briefly moved classes online. In response, the students at LSR arranged a protest march demanding accountability. 

“Women’s safety cannot be addressed only through advisories asking women to be more careful. The focus has to be on safer public spaces, reliable last-mile transport, visible policing, accessible reporting mechanisms and timely accountability,” Lady Shri Ram College Students’ Union president Anusha Garg told NDTV.

Last week, chief minister Rekha Gupta admitted to lapses and vowed to improve the security infrastructure in the light of cases of crime against women. 

Case: In Re: Recent Rape Incidents in Delhi NCR Suo Moto Writ Petition (Criminal) No. 6/2026