SC on Recent Delhi Rape Cases Involving Minors: ‘Painful Parallel to Nirbhaya Case’

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of recent cases of sexual assault involving minors and women in the Delhi-NCR region, expressing concern over safety in public spaces and seeking a response from the Delhi Police.

A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran took note of reports of the alleged rape of a 17-year-old at Aastha Kunj Park near Lady Shri Ram College, the alleged gang-rape of a minor in Swaroop Nagar, and the alleged sexual assault of another minor inside a bus travelling from Greater Noida to Delhi.

‘Painful parallel to Nirbhaya case’Expressing concern over the recurrence of such incidents, the bench said, “One cannot help but draw a painful parallel to the 2012 Nirbhaya case and wonder whether lessons have been learnt.” It stressed that the right to live with dignity and free from violence is a fundamental guarantee under Article 21 of the Constitution.

The court observed that public spaces, including parks, roads, buses, Metro stations and subways, cannot become “zones of high risk” because of inadequate patrolling or surveillance.

Taking note of reports that students of Lady Shri Ram College had previously complained about sexual harassment near Aastha Kunj, the bench said the complaints had failed to address the security lapses through adequate surveillance.

The court further observed that the incidents point to “a systematic failure” by law enforcement and public administrative authorities to ensure public safety and sought accountability from the concerned authorities.