A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran, hearing a suo motu case concerning sexual assaults in the National Capital Region, said on Monday that women should feel secure even at 11 pm while travelling on roads or using the metro. The judges said prevention had to be the central objective of policing, not merely action after an offence.
The court expressed concern over a perception that women were unsafe in parts of the capital, particularly vulnerable pockets, and told Delhi Police to strengthen deterrence against people prone to committing sexual offences. It called for firm policing against anti-social elements while emphasising visible and effective preventive action.
The bench also focused on surveillance, questioning the value of installing CCTV cameras unless footage is continuously monitored and can trigger timely intervention. It raised the need for a control-room or “war room” approach capable of translating surveillance into an immediate police response when suspicious activity is detected.
Police were asked to reinforce beat patrolling at public places, including transport facilities, and strengthen points where police control room vehicles are stationed. The court stressed grassroots policing and said public confidence depended on officers being accessible and responsive rather than safety arrangements remaining administrative exercises.
The hearing follows the court’s September 28 decision to take suo motu cognisance of a series of sexual offences involving women and girls across Delhi-NCR. The court had then described the cases as raising serious questions about the security of public spaces and the ability of law-enforcement and civil authorities to prevent avoidable risks.
That order directed Delhi Police and other authorities to undertake time-bound safety measures within four weeks. Dedicated teams in every police district were ordered to survey vulnerable locations, including isolated stretches, parks, transport hubs, markets and areas around educational institutions. District-wise vulnerability maps are to identify deficiencies such as poor lighting, inadequate surveillance and insufficient patrolling.
The court also ordered lighting and CCTV audits covering parks and vulnerable zones, with non-functional equipment to be repaired and additional cameras or lights installed where necessary. Similar checks were directed for metro stations, bus stops, bus terminals, railway stations and other major public-transport facilities, especially those in or near areas assessed as vulnerable.
Patrolling is to be intensified in identified locations, particularly during evenings and early mornings, with designated officers responsible for specific areas and periodic inspections. Mobile checkpoints and vehicle inspections were also ordered, alongside enforcement of the prohibition on aftermarket tinted or solar-control films on vehicle windows.
The September order arose partly from the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj Park and complaints of sexual harassment involving students near Lady Shri Ram College for Women. The court also took note of the alleged gang rape and killing of a teenage girl in Swaroop Nagar and the alleged sexual assault of a minor inside a moving sleeper bus.
In the bus case, the vehicle allegedly travelled more than 47 kilometres from Greater Noida towards Delhi without being intercepted. The court said the circumstances invited a painful comparison with the 2012 Nirbhaya case and questioned whether law-enforcement systems had made meaningful progress since then.
The judges have linked public safety to the constitutional guarantee of life and personal liberty under Article 21, saying roads, parks, buses, metro stations, subways and footbridges cannot become high-risk areas because of inadequate illumination, surveillance or policing.
