Create Fear in Minds of Goons: Supreme Court Tells Delhi Police in Suo Motu Case for Women’s Safety

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed Delhi Police and other authorities to immediately strengthen preventive measures in vulnerable areas of Delhi-NCR to curb crimes against women. It stressed that the focus must be on stopping offences rather than only apprehending offenders afterwards. A Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran was hearing the suo motu case women safety pertaining to recent rape incidents in the National Capital. The matter is next listed on November 16.

Supreme Court Suo Moto Delhi Case on Women's Safety

On September 28, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognizance of a series of sexual offences reported across Delhi-NCR. It registered the matter as a public interest writ petition and ordered a four-week audit of public safety infrastructure in the capital. The Apex Court further sought a detailed status report from the police, civic authorities and the Delhi High Court's Registry.

The matter reportedly arose from several incidents:

The alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old at Astha Kunj Park, near Kalkaji Temple in South-East Delhi. According to reports, three men who allegedly posed as policemen were involved.
Complaints of recurrent sexual harassment faced by students of Lady Shri Ram College for Women.
The alleged gang rape and murder of a teenage girl in Delhi's Swaroop Nagar area.
The alleged sexual assault of a minor inside a moving sleeper bus, which authorities failed to intercept over a distance of more than 47 km from Greater Noida to Delhi.

The Supreme Court has also been told that at least 13 cases of sexual assault were reported in the capital in a month.

Prevent the Crime, Not What You Do After

Justice Pardiwala expressed that the Supreme Court's concern was that women appeared to feel unsafe in Delhi, particularly in vulnerable pockets. "What is important is to prevent the crime, not what you do after the crime is committed," he observed. He said every young girl and woman in the capital should feel safe even at 10 or 11 at night, whether travelling by metro or walking on the streets.

The Bench said the exercise was meant to identify "gray areas" that enable such crimes and to make the system more deterrent. It asked the police and other authorities to work together rather than treat the exercise as adversarial.

Create Fear in the Minds of Offenders

The Supreme Court told Delhi Police it must not hesitate to be stricter. "You need to create a fright, a fear in the mind of a man who is prone to commit such offences," the Bench said. It added that merely putting things on paper was not enough, and that some people would raise Article 21 concerns but the police had to do their duty.

Referring to the 2012 Delhi gang rape case, the Supreme Court noted that records showed the accused had consumed liquor at an eatery before boarding the bus. It directed authorities to focus on illegal or unauthorized eateries, beat patrolling and control-room van halting points.

CCTV Alone Is Not Enough

The Bench questioned how effective CCTV cameras could be without continuous monitoring. Cameras may help catch a culprit after a crime in a park, it observed, but the real question was how to prevent the crime. Justice Pardiwala suggested a "war room" mechanism to watch vulnerable pockets and ensure a quick police response.

The Supreme Court asked authorities to say whether CCTV cameras at vulnerable locations are operational. For Astha Kunj, it wanted the number of cameras and lights installed and whether security personnel had been deployed. It noted that locals had reportedly flagged anti-social elements in the area before the incident.

Parks, Campuses and Surveillance of Offenders

The Supreme Court identified parks as potentially vulnerable where security and lighting are inadequate. It directed authorities to classify parks by size and location and place details of CCTV, lighting and security arrangements before it. It also asked them to track who enters and exits parks and consider night-time monitoring where needed.

The Bench cautioned that parks could not simply be locked. "It is to make public spaces safe, not inaccessible," Justice Pardiwala said, adding that police must ensure surveillance, prompt response and accountability.

Delhi Police was also asked to strengthen surveillance of sexual offenders through the National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO). The Apex Court said focus areas include vulnerable pockets, colleges and educational institutions, bus stops, metro stations and railway stations. It also stressed one-to-one interaction between police and residents, saying people should feel confident approaching the police.

Festive Season Warning

With Durga Puja and Diwali approaching, the Supreme Court directed authorities to immediately strengthen patrolling and surveillance. It warned that "miscreants, goons, anti-social elements" could become more active. Senior officers were urged to "rise to the occasion" and treat women's safety as a challenge, with the Bench conveying that success would be a big victory for the department.

Forthcoming Order and Earlier Directions

The Supreme Court said it will issue an order setting out the areas authorities must work on, after hearing the amicus curiae. Authorities will then have to explain how they propose to implement the directions. In its earlier order, the Apex Court had sought reports on:

Safety arrangements in public places.
The use of the NDSO by Delhi Police.
The Ministry of Home Affairs' use of the Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO).
The operation of the Mission Shakti programme in Delhi.

Senior police officers have been directed to be personally present on November 16 and place before the Apex Court a report on the immediate measures taken.

Case Title: In Re: Recent Rape Incidents in Delhi NCR