NEW DELHI, Jan 11:
Observing there is no safety in the Capital, the Supreme Court today said it must be “restored” so that women can live with honour and dignity since incidents like the Delhi gang-rape are being “repeated”.
“There is no safety in the city and it has to come back,” a bench of Justices K S Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra said while pointing out that the incident of gang-rape of a 23-year-old girl on December 16 was not an isolated one and that it is being “repeated” in the Capital.
The apex court said it is concerned about providing safe environment for women so that they can live with dignity.
The bench made the remarks while hearing a PIL filed by a law student seeking directions for making the city safer for its citizens and for setting up a Criminal Injuries Compensation Board for payment of compensation to victims of rape.
“We are more concerned about safe environment where women can work with honour and dignity and that must be restored,” the bench said, while issuing notice to the Centre, the NCT government and the National Commission for Women asking them to file their response within two weeks.
It also said the owner of the bus in which the girl was gang-raped in a brutal manner should not be allowed to operate buses on the route on which any of his buses violates law.
Making another submission, the petitioner submitted that licence of vehicles should be cancelled for violation of Motor Vehicles Act.
The petition, filed by Nipun Saxena and others, said that there are various prominent issues, including establishment of a formal compensatory mechanism for rape victims, which needs to be addressed for the safety and security of women.
It said that private buses, which are operating in the NCR region without valid licences, should be brought to book and if anyone is found violating the same then their licence be cancelled. They should also be booked for offences under the Motor Vehicles Act or the IPC.
The petition sought court’s direction to State Transport Authority and the police agencies to “immediately cancel and revoke the licences and permits of the buses which operate at odd timings and conduct their business without the authority of law”.
It also pointed out that there is a “compelling need” to establish a criminal injuries compensation board to provide instantaneous and expeditious monetary relief to rape victims.
Seeking speedy justice in cases of crimes against women, especially rape and gang-rape cases, the petition sought for establishment of fast track courts for expeditious disposal of such cases.
It also said that all public and transport vehicle should be fitted with GPS system and high security registration plate and a log book should be maintained detailing the routes and destinations covered by it.
The petition further said that the Government should give encouragement to employ women drivers and bus conductors and should also start taxi and auto service with women drivers.
It also sought direction to the Government to encourage participation of elderly people in families.
The old practice of having beat constables in areas, which has been substituted by patrolling by the police vehicles, should be revived as it is more effective in gathering inputs.
Meanwhile, VIP security in Delhi will be trimmed very soon following a directive from Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde has said.
“The Prime Minister and (the Congress President) Soniaji told me about trimming VIP security 2-3 days ago and I have asked the Home Secretary to look into it,” he told Rajat Sharma in India TV show ‘Aap Ki Adalat’
Shinde said the committee in the Home Ministry which looks into the issue of VIP security is presently studying the proposal, according to a press release issued by the channel.
“I can only promise that VIP security will be trimmed very soon (Jaldi Kam ho jayega),” he said.
Shinde said out of the 86,000 Delhi Police personnel, nearly 7,000 policemen are deployed for VIP security.
“Out of this, 2,500 policemen are deployed for security of Z-Plus category VIPs and the rest for security of High Courts and vital installations,” he said.
The Home Minister said all rape cases cannot be considered as rarest of rare cases but the gang- rape of a 23-year-old girl in Delhi on December 16 could be considered as rarest of rare case.
Asked whether he would recommend to the President for commuting death sentences to rapists, Shinde said “So long as I am in this chair, I will never recommend such a thing to the President”.
On the past cases of death sentences being commuted by former President Pratibha Patil, Shinde said, “I don’t know about those cases. At least it was not during my tenure. The only death sentence that I recommended (Ajmal Kasab) is known to all…”
Asked about the possibility of framing a tougher anti-rape law, he said Justice Verma committee was looking into it and “nobody should doubt our sincerity on that score”.
The Home Minister said he has been trying his best to set up Fast-Track courts and he had met Chief Justice of India along with Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in this regard.
“I went with Sheilaji to the Chief Justice of India not only for this case but for disposal of all pending rape cases through Fast Track courts,” he said.
Meanwhile, the ban on media reporting on the proceedings of a local court in the Delhi gang-rape case reached the High Court today, with some journalists seeking permission for publishing the trial.
The Delhi High Court in turn sought the response of the city government and the police on a plea seeking permission for media to report proceedings during the pre-trial and trial phases of the case relating to the gang-rape of a 23-year-old girl, who later succumbed to injuries in a Singapore hospital.
Justice Rajiv Shakdher fixed the matter for February 13 to examine how to balance the rights of the media and conducting trial in the rape cases.
The petition was filed in the wake of the January 7 order of a magisterial court directing in camera hearing of the case and restraining the media from reporting it. The Magistrate’s order was later upheld by the district court on January 9.
The plea by the journalists was mentioned by advocate Meenakshi Lekhi before the bench headed by Chief Justice D Murugesan yesterday who had directed that it be filed before a single judge bench of the High Court.
Lekhi had moved a petition on behalf of some journalists assailing the gag order.
“The whole nation wants to know about the proceedings in the case and the media, which undertakes to act responsibly, should not be gagged,” she had said. (PTI)
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