New Delhi, 05 October (H.S.):

Hearing a suo motu case concerning incidents of rape in Delhi, the Supreme Court has emphasised the need for stringent measures to prevent crimes against women. A bench headed by Justice J.B. Pardiwala said the authorities must create an environment in which women feel safe while walking on the streets or travelling on public transport.

The court said, “Until you create a fear in the minds of perpetrators that if we do something like this, we will be killed, you will not be able to prevent such crimes.”

During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the government was in complete agreement with the sentiments expressed by the court and would convey them to the concerned authorities and agencies. The Delhi Police, the Delhi government, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the Department of Women and Child Development, and other concerned parties will file affidavits.

He requested that the court hear the matter only after the affidavits from the concerned departments and the report of the amicus curiae are placed before it.

Earlier, during the hearing on September 28, the court had observed that the Kalkaji incident brought back memories of the 2012 Nirbhaya case and reflected a failure of law-enforcement agencies. The court said that public spaces cannot be allowed to become unsafe areas because of administrative failures and serious lapses in security.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar