The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday has directed the Delhi Police to ramp up measures aimed at preventing rapes and other kinds of sexual offences in Delhi-NCR, emphasising that a comprehensive strategy is needed to enhance women’s safety and deter potential offenders.

The Bench, while hearing a suo motu case concerning a spate of recent sexual crimes in the National Capital Region (NCR), asked the police to examine every aspect of the issue and implement concrete preventive measures. Justice Jamshed Burjor Pardiwala, heading the SC bench, remarked, “All these aspects need to be looked into.”

SC calls for strong deterrence

The Apex court underlined the need to create a strong deterrent among those inclined to commit offences, observing, “Fear must be instilled in the minds of people who have a tendency to commit crimes.” The bench further remarked that preventing such crimes would be difficult unless anti-social elements were made to realise that serious consequences could follow their actions.

It asked, “How can such crimes be prevented?,” underscoring the need to explore every possible measure to curb sexual violence. It also shed light on the gravity of the issue, noting that ‘rape is unacceptable in any society.’

The top court then issued directives to the Delhi Police to focus on all dimensions of the problem and work towards ensuring that similar incidents are not reported in the coming weeks.

The court asserted, “If we focus on this together, we can bring about a change,” calling for a coordinated effort involving the police and other authorities.

War room, offender database on radar

During the hearing, the apex court also asked the Delhi Police whether there was any provision to establish a dedicated war room in the national capital. It noted that similar facilities had been set up in different high courts.

It then suggested that suspects and sexual offenders could be monitored by means of the National Database on Sexual Offenders as part of efforts to identify repeat offenders and prevent potential crimes. The court further turned its attention towards colleges, as the Bench asked the cops to monitor people who repeatedly harass female students.

The bench said, “Focus on colleges and keep an eye on hooligans who harass female students,” pointing to the presence of people who repeatedly target women students.

Unauthorised eateries under judiciary’s scanner

The SC was informed during the hearing that thousands of unauthorised eateries operate in Delhi, with anti-social elements allegedly gathering at some of these establishments and alcohol also being made available.

Justice Pardiwala referred to the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape incident while examining the possible connection between alcohol consumption, gathering sports and subsequent criminal offences. He underlined as per records, in the 2012 Nirbhaya incident, the accused had gone to eat somewhere, consumed alcohol and subsequently committed the crime.

Notably, last week, the Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance of recent rape cases reported from Delhi-NCR, including the sexual assault of a minor girl inside a moving sleeper bus in Greater Noida. During the hearing held earlier, the Bench comprising Justice Pardiwala and Justice K Vinod Chandran called the incidents ‘deeply distressing’ and raised concerns over what it termed ‘systematic failure’ of law enforcement and public authorities to ensure basic safety.