SC says recent Delhi rape cases show failure of police, administration; takes suo moto cognisance

The Supreme Court on Monday took suo moto cognisance of a spate of rape cases in Delhi, saying it underlined a “systematic failure” of the law enforcement authorities and the administration to guarantee basic public safety, Live Law reported.

At least 13 cases of sexual assault have been reported in Delhi this month, The Print reported.

These include the gang rape of a 17-year-old allegedly by three men who posed as police personnel in a park near Lady Shri Ram College on September 21.

On September 13, the body of a 16-year-old girl was found decomposed in Swaroop Nagar, two days after she was allegedly raped and murdered, The Hindu reported.

On August 4, a 17-year-old was gang raped by a bus driver and conductor inside a moving bus as it covered a distance of nearly 47 km from Greater Noida to Kashmere Gate without being checked at any police picket, The Indian Express reported.

On Monday, the bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran said that they were distressed by these reports and highlighted the need to fix accountability.

While referring to the August 4 case, the bench said that “one cannot help but draw painful parallels to the Nirbhaya incident of 2012”.

On the night of December 16, 2012, six men raped and assaulted a 23-year-old physiotherapy student in a moving bus in Delhi....

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