Painful parallels to Nirbhaya case: SC takes suo motu cognisance of Delhi-NCR rape cases
Mangalore Today News Network
New Delhi, Sep 28, 2026: The Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of the recent incidents of rape in Delhi-NCR, including a gangrape in a park near the Kalkaji Temple and the sexual assault of a minor inside a moving sleeper bus in Delhi.
A bench comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice K Vinod Chandran expressed concern over the incidents, stating that they were distressed by the news reports regarding recurring sexual assault cases in the National Capital Region, and stressing the need to fix accountability, LiveLaw reported.
Referring to the alleged gang-rape of a teenage girl in a moving sleeper bus, where the police failed to intercept during its 47-kilometre journey from Greater Noida’s Pari Chowk to Delhi’s Kashmere Gate, the Court said: “One cannot help but draw painful parallels to the Nirbhaya incident of 2012“.
The top Court observed that these cases expose a systematic failure of the law enforcement agencies and the public administrative authorities.
“These incidents considered alongside other recent reports of sexual offences across Delhi-NCR starkly underline a systematic failure on the part of the law enforcement and the public administrative authorities to guarantee basic public safety," said the Court.
Highlighting the security lapses in the recent gang-rape near the Kalkaji Temple, where a 17-year-old girl was allegedly raped by three men posing as policemen, the Court emphasised that public spaces cannot be permitted to become “zones of high risk" due to grossly inadequate illumination, poor surveillance, lack of patrolling and other preventable administrative deficiencies, reported LiveLaw.
‘Expressing Solidarity Not A Solution’
The Supreme Court underlined that expressing solidarity that lacks accountability on the part of authorities is not a solution.
“Expressions of solidarity devoid of accountability fall short of answering the larger institutional question. Expressing solidarity is not a solution to this social evil. What is required is a measurable response with the responsibility and accountability fixed upon authorities entrusted with the prevention of crimes, maintenance of public order and protection of vulnerable persons," the bench stated.
Rape Incidents In Delhi
A 16-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped inside a sleeper bus travelling from Pari Chowk in Greater Noida to Kashmere Gate in Delhi. The incident took place on August 4, with investigators saying that the driver and conductor allegedly assaulted the girl during the journey before abandoning her near Kashmere Gate. Both men were later arrested.
Recently, another alleged rape was reported at the Astha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Temple in New Delhi, where a 17-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by three men posing as police personnel.
According to police, the accused first approached the duo, threatening them that they would register a case against them. They then separated the girl from her friend before taking her to a secluded spot in the park.
The three men sexually assaulted the teenager, threatening her with a firearm and a knife. All three men were arrested, with one of them sustaining injuries in a police encounter near the back gate of Delhi’s renowned Lady Shri Ram College for Women.