SC Takes Suo Motu Cognisance of Minor’s Alleged Gang-Rape Inside Moving Bus

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of the alleged gang-rape of a 16-year-old girl inside a moving bus in the Delhi-NCR region, expressing serious concern over the safety of women and children in public spaces.

A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran sought a response from the Delhi Police and observed that public spaces such as parks, buses and roads cannot become “zones of high risk”.

The court took note of multiple recent cases of alleged sexual violence against minors in the NCR, including incidents at Aastha Kunj Park, Swaroop Nagar and inside a bus travelling from Greater Noida to Delhi. Referring to the 2012 Nirbhaya case, the bench questioned whether lessons had been learnt and stressed the constitutional right to live with dignity and freedom from violence under Article 21.

According to the case details, the 16-year-old allegedly boarded a sleeper bus from Greater Noida on August 4 and was allegedly assaulted by the driver and conductor while the bus was moving. She was later allegedly abandoned near Kashmere Gate in Delhi. The two accused have been arrested.

The case has also raised concerns over safety compliance in private sleeper buses, with investigations reportedly examining CCTV and other mandatory safety measures, pending traffic challans and the recruitment and verification of the bus staff.