New Delhi: The Supreme Court has taken suo moto cognizance of a series of recent sexual offences against women and minor girls in the National Capital Region, directing the Delhi Police and civic authorities to carry out an immediate vulnerability audit of public spaces and report on the actual, on-ground functioning of existing safety mechanisms.
A Bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice K. Vinod Chandran, registering Suo Moto Writ Petition (Criminal) No. 6/2026, In Re: Recent Rape Incidents in Delhi NCR, referred to the alleged gang rape of a seventeen-year-old at Aastha Kunj Park, the alleged gang rape and murder of a teenage girl in Swaroop Nagar, and the alleged assault of a minor inside a moving bus that travelled over 47 km without interception, observing that these incidents “starkly underline a systemic failure on the part of law enforcement.”
The Court held that the right to live with dignity, free from fear of violence, is intrinsic to Article 21, and that public spaces “cannot be permitted to become zones of high risk” on account of poor lighting, surveillance or patrolling. It observed that official expressions of concern, “devoid of accountability, fall short of answering the larger institutional question.”
Clarifying that the proceedings are not directed at individual criminal culpability, the Court directed the authorities to file comprehensive status reports on, among other things, security arrangements in parks, roads and transport hubs; the actual use of the National Database on Sexual Offenders and the Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences; the functioning of the Mission Shakti programme; and the on-ground status of the Emergency Response Support System (112), the Women Helpline (181), the Safe City Project, Women Help Desks and One Stop Centres.
As immediate interim measures to be completed within four weeks, the Court directed the Commissioner of Police, Delhi to constitute district-wise teams headed by officers not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police to survey vulnerable locations, prepare a shared vulnerability map, deploy patrolling at identified spots, and conduct a lighting and CCTV audit of parks and transport facilities to eliminate blind spots.
The Court also directed intensified vehicular checks and strict enforcement of its earlier directions in Avishek Goenka v. Union of India against black or tinted window films, noting that such films had been found to facilitate concealment of crimes inside vehicles.
The Registrar General, High Court of Delhi was directed to place on record the status of Fast Track Special Courts and Exclusive POCSO Courts, including pendency and disposal rates, and the Delhi High Court was directed administratively to assign the present cases to a designated Fast Track Special Court for trial, “preferably within a period of one year.”
Addressing the media, the Court reminded print, electronic and digital outlets of the statutory prohibition on disclosing a sexual-assault or minor victim's identity under Section 72 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and Section 23 of the POCSO Act, and called for responsible, restrained reporting that keeps the discourse “centered on justice and safety” rather than sensationalism.
The Court appointed Ms. Liz Mathew, Senior Advocate, as Amicus Curiae to assist in the matter, issued notice to the Chief Secretary of Delhi, the Commissioner of Police, Delhi, and the Registrar General of the Delhi High Court, and listed the matter for further directions on 5th October, 2026.
Case Title: In Re: Recent Rape Incidents in Delhi NCR (Suo Moto Writ Petition (Criminal) No. 6/2026)
