New Delhi: The Delhi-NCR region is currently shaken by incidents of rape and sexual assault, with young women and girls being repeatedly targeted. The Supreme Court has taken cognisance of these recent incidents. Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran have ordered the registration of a case regarding this matter. During the hearing, the judges remarked that these incidents evoke painful memories of the 2012 Nirbhaya case. The Court observed that these events raise serious questions about the failure of law enforcement bodies and agencies.
Court Raises Questions on Law and Order
Justice Pardiwala, presiding over the bench, raised significant concerns regarding women’s safety. During the hearing, the judge stated that parks, buses, and other public spaces must not be allowed to become dangerous zones due to poor lighting, inadequate surveillance, or a lack of essential administrative facilities. Mere expressions of solidarity by citizens in the wake of such incidents are not enough.
It is crucial to hold officials accountable for such heinous crimes. Following these observations, the Court directed the registration of a suo motu case to examine the entire issue and the systemic lapses revealed by these incidents. The judges specifically referred to the gang-rape of a minor girl on a moving bus while she was travelling from Greater Noida to Delhi.
Noida Girls Shaken by Bus Incident
On August 4, 2026, a 16-year-old minor was gang-raped on a sleeper bus in Noida, near Delhi. According to the police, the girl had alighted at Pari Chowk amidst rain and darkness. She then boarded a sleeper bus. Inside the bus, the driver and conductor assaulted her and, after travelling a distance of kilometres, abandoned her near Delhi’s Kashmere Gate. Subsequently, when the matter came to light, both accused were arrested.
Questions are also being raised regarding the bus’s monitoring systems in connection with this brutal incident; the bus had 11 outstanding traffic challans, and its CCTV system was non-functional. Furthermore, the bus passed through several police checkpoints but was never flagged down or stopped.
Rape of a 17-year-old girl in Delhi
It is worth noting that a case involving the gang-rape of a 17-year-old girl by three men in a park in South-East Delhi has also recently come to light. The accused had posed as police personnel. Following that incident, the Delhi Police had issued directives to strengthen security measures by identifying areas with poor lighting, non-functional CCTV cameras, and isolated spots.
