Supreme Court: ‘Need to create fear in minds of goons committing crimes against women’

The Supreme Court emphasized the necessity of instilling fear in the minds of criminals who commit crimes against women, following a series of recent rape incidents in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). The court noted the pervasive sentiment of women's insecurity, particularly in vulnerable areas, during the hearing of a suo motu case.

Justice J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran stressed the importance of collective efforts to ensure women feel secure even late at night, whether commuting on roads, metros, or other public transport. The bench highlighted that preventing a crime is of utmost importance, rather than actions taken post-incident. They underscored that rape is completely unacceptable in any society and called upon the police to instill fear in goons and anti-social elements.

The court's suo motu cognizance was sparked by reports of crimes against minor girls and women, including a 17-year-old girl's gang-rape at Aastha Kunj Park, a teenage girl's gang-rape and murder in Swaroop Nagar, and a minor girl's sexual assault on a moving sleeper bus that evaded police interception over 47 km from Greater Noida to Delhi.