SC takes suo motu cognisance of gang-rape of minor in moving bus in Delhi-NCR

The Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of the gang-rape of a minor in a moving bus in Delhi-NCR, observing that such cases underline a systematic failure on the part of law enforcement authorities.

A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran said one cannot help but draw painful parallels to the Nirbhaya incident of 2012.

“The reports of rape cases in Delhi-NCR starkly underline a systematic failure on the part of the law enforcement and the public administrative authorities to guarantee basic public safety,” the bench said.

The top court said public spaces, including parks, buses, cannot be permitted to become zones of high risk due to lack of illumination, poor surveillance and other administrative facilities.

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A 16-year-old girl, who boarded a sleeper bus in Greater Noida, was allegedly gang-raped by its conductor and driver and abandoned near Kashmere Gate, more than 40 km away in Old Delhi, on August 4. The two accused have been arrested.

The crime brought back painful memories of the 2012 gang-rape and murder in Delhi known as the Nirbhaya case.