Delhi Women Safety | Supreme Court Orders To Step Up Police Patrol, Verify Cab-Bus Drivers &…

This is a suo moto criminal writ petition concerning recent rape incidents in Delhi NCR, where the Court is directing the Delhi Police and local administration to enhance public safety measures, verify transport drivers, and address infrastructure deficiencies.

Who it concerns: Petitioner: None (Suo Moto); Respondents: Government of NCT of Delhi, Delhi Police, DDA, MCD, NDMC, Ministry of Women & Child Development; Bench: Not stated in the provided text.

What the court decided

• Directed the Commissioner of Police, Delhi and the Chief Secretary, GNCTD to furnish a joint report on the existence, number, coverage, and protocols of dedicated control-room command centres ('war rooms') for real-time monitoring.
• Directed immediate enhanced beat patrolling across the NCT of Delhi, particularly around educational institutions and areas flagged in vulnerability mapping.
• Directed strict verification of drivers and assistants for public transport (buses, cabs, taxis, rickshaws) and app-based services (Ola, Uber, Rapido).
• Ordered that all such vehicles display the names and photographs of verified drivers/assistants in a visible area for passengers.
• Directed the Road Transport Officer to ensure vehicle identification displays and to provide a dedicated avenue for registering complaints regarding unverified drivers.
• Directed the police and local administration to consider instituting regular citizen-engagement meetings under the supervision of a designated officer.
• Directed that preventive policing training be integrated into police induction and periodic training.

Also in the document

• The Court referenced the 'Broken Windows theory' to emphasize that unattended civic neglect (like broken lights or non-functional CCTV) contributes to a perception of insecurity and facilitates crime.
• The Court noted that the Amicus Curiae (Ms. Liz Mathew) suggested using QR codes for monitoring police patrolling via automated time-stamping and geo-mapping.
• The Court highlighted a 2020 CAG report indicating a 39% shortage in police staff for active duties like beat patrol and investigation.
• The Court directed that uniforms or other visible means of identification be prescribed for drivers and assistants of non-app-based public transport vehicles.