N環球 
New Delhi: Supreme Court orders stronger preventive policing and public-transport safety for women
In suo motu proceedings on recent rape cases in Delhi-NCR, India's Supreme Court issued fresh directions: strict verification of bus and cab drivers with names and photos displayed in vehicles, intensified night patrolling, and removal of illegally parked heavy vehicles and unauthorised liquor outlets.
Why it matters
Another round of binding directions from India's Supreme Court on women's safety in the national capital region. The court said public safety cannot depend on post-crime response — it demands visible, verifiable prevention: street-level police presence, verified transport drivers, and working surveillance and lighting. It directly affects the daily commute of millions in Delhi.
Full report
NEW DELHI — India's Supreme Court issued a series of preventive directions on October 5 in its suo motu proceedings on recent rape incidents in Delhi-NCR. The bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran took suo motu cognisance on September 28, citing reports including the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old at Aastha Kunj Park, the alleged gang rape and murder of a teenage girl in Swaroop Nagar, and the alleged sexual assault of a minor in a moving sleeper bus that travelled 47 km from Greater Noida to Delhi without being intercepted.
The new directions include strict verification of drivers and assistants of government and private buses, app-based aggregators such as Ola, Uber and Rapido, and private cabs and autos — with verified names and photographs displayed inside vehicles, uniforms, and safeguards against unauthorised sub-letting; non-compliance may lead to vehicle seizure and suspension of drivers. Day-and-night patrolling is to be intensified in vulnerable pockets, with police deployment, beat patrolling and PCR van halting points reviewed. The court also ordered an evaluation of Vehicle Tracking System (VTS) devices in public transport, and directed the Delhi Police Commissioner and Chief Secretary to place on record details of dedicated control-room 'war rooms', SOS alert protocols, designated response units and turnaround times.
The bench further ordered removal of illegally parked heavy vehicles creating blind spots, action against unauthorised liquor outlets and eateries, and dispersal of loitering crowds near such establishments. The court stressed that existing guidelines, sensitisation programmes and anti-teasing squad protocols must translate into verifiable grassroots action. The matter is listed for further hearing on November 16.
💬 Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!