The Supreme Court on Monday (September 28, 2026) took suo motu cognisance of a spate of sexual assault incidents against minors and women in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR), and directed the Delhi Police to immediately identify vulnerable areas, step up patrolling, and undertake an audit of lighting and CCTV coverage in public spaces within a period of four weeks.

A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran observed that public spaces, including parks, buses and Metro stations, could not be allowed to become “zones of high risk” because of deficiencies, including “grossly inadequate illumination” and “lax patrolling”.

It took note of several recent cases of sexual violence reported in the national capital, including the rape of a 17-year-old at Astha Kunj park near Lady Shri Ram College, the gang-rape of a minor at Swaroop Nagar, and the sexual assault of another minor inside a bus travelling from Greater Noida to Delhi.

“These incidents, considered alongside recent reports of sexual offences across Delhi-NCR, starkly underline the failure of law enforcement and public administration authorities to guarantee basic public safety. The right to live with dignity, free from the fear of violence, is an intrinsic facet of the fundamental guarantee of life and personal liberty enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution,” the Bench said.

The court observed that public spaces, including roads, buses, Metro stations, footbridges, and subways, cannot be permitted to become “zones of high risk”. Where basic measures of public safety remain compromised, no individual, irrespective of age, gender or sexual identity, could navigate public spaces with a sense of security, it said.

“The primary obligation of the state and its instrumentalities is to maintain public spaces that are safe, accessible, and secure for all, while remaining particularly attentive to the heightened risks faced by children, women, and other sexual minorities,” the Bench said.

‘Painful parallel’

Expressing serious concern over the gang-rape of a 17-year-old girl in a moving bus that travelled nearly 47 km from Greater Noida to Kashmere Gate in Delhi without being stopped at a single police picket earlier this month, the apex court said it could not help but “draw painful parallels with the 2012 Nirbhaya case”.

The incident, it said, raised questions over whether systemic law enforcement mechanisms had made any “meaningful progress” in the years since then.

The Bench also took note of statements by public authorities and elected representatives expressing concern over such incidents, but said expressions of solidarity without accountability failed to address larger institutional failures that transcended individual cases.

“Expressions of concern, devoid of accountability, fall short of answering the larger institutional question. Expressing solidarity is not the solution to this social evil. What is required is a measurable response, with responsibility and accountability fixed upon the authorities entrusted with prevention of crime, maintenance of public order, and protection of vulnerable persons,” the Bench said.

Vulnerability mapping

As an interim measure, the court directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to constitute dedicated teams for each police district, headed by an officer not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police, to immediately survey and inspect vulnerable pockets within their respective jurisdictions.

The exercise will cover isolated stretches, parks, transport hubs, markets, areas around educational institutions, and other public places. The assessment will be based on National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, local intelligence, past and present complaints, previous incidents, and other objective indicators.

The teams have been tasked with identifying locations where poor lighting, inadequate surveillance, insufficient patrolling, abandoned structures, poor access control or other deficiencies could increase the risk of crime.

The court also directed the preparation of district-wise vulnerability maps, which will be shared among adjoining police stations to ensure that information on recurring patterns of crime and habitual offenders is not confined to individual police station jurisdictions.

Patrolling, CCTV audit

The Bench further ordered patrolling and security arrangements at identified public parks and other vulnerable areas, particularly during the evening and early morning hours, or during other periods identified through the vulnerability assessment.

A designated police officer will be made responsible for each such location, while the authorities have been asked to put in place a mechanism for periodic inspections. Patrolling will also include mobile check-posts and vehicular inspections at regular intervals.

The court further directed an immediate audit of lighting and CCTV coverage across public parks and other vulnerable areas to identify and eliminate blind spots.

“Non-functional CCTV cameras and lighting infrastructure shall be repaired or restored in an expeditious manner. Additional lights and CCTVs [are] to be installed wherever inadequacy is sensed or reported by citizens,” the Bench directed.

Responses sought from authorities

The Delhi Police and other authorities have also been asked to file a detailed response outlining the measures currently in place to ensure safety at parks, roads, public transport facilities, markets, educational institutions and other areas frequented by women and children.

The Bench has sought details on how the National Database on Sexual Offenders is being used by the Delhi Police, including whether it is regularly accessed to verify antecedents and identify repeat or habitual sexual offenders.

It has also sought a response from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on the functioning in Delhi of the Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences, an online analytical tool for monitoring time-bound investigations into sexual offences.

The Home Ministry has been asked to explain how investigations required to be completed within the statutory period were monitored through the system, which officers were responsible for such monitoring, and how frequently cases were reviewed. The Ministry must also specify the remedial measures taken when investigations were delayed, and whether senior officers received alerts or periodic reports when prescribed timelines were not adhered to.

Fast-track courts

To ensure the expeditious trial of sexual offence cases, the top court also directed the Registrar General of the Delhi High Court to file an affidavit detailing the present status and functioning of Fast Track Special Courts and exclusive POCSO courts in the capital. The affidavit will have to specify the number of such courts currently functioning, the cases pending before each of them, their annual disposal rates over the preceding three years, and the average time taken for final disposal of cases.

The Delhi High Court, on its administrative side, has also been directed to assign the sexual assault cases referred to by the Supreme Court to a designated Fast Track Special Court, and ensure that the trials were concluded expeditiously, preferably within a year from the commencement of trial.

‘Responsible media reporting’

The Bench also turned its attention to media coverage of sexual offences, observing that reporting on such cases carried a “profound constitutional and ethical duty”.

It directed the district administration to convene a meeting with media houses to facilitate a dedicated column in newspapers and dedicated airtime in electronic media carrying information on protective measures and telephone numbers that people can access for immediate assistance when faced with a perceived threat.

“Media outlets, journalists, and publishing platforms must remain deeply mindful of their solemn obligation to practice responsible, empathetic, and restrained journalism in such matters. Sensationalist headlines, graphic or lurid descriptions of sexual violence, and insensitive phraseology fail to serve any public interest and risk causing severe secondary trauma to victims and their families,” the Bench said.

The court posted the matter for further hearing on October 5 to review compliance with its directions.