New Delhi: While Supreme Court Monday invoked “painful parallels” of the Nirbhaya case to take suo motu note of crimes against minor girls and women across the capital, a similar exercise — initiated days by Delhi High Court after the 2012 crime — appears to have lost steam in the past few years.Shaken by the brutal gang rape of Nirbhaya in a moving bus, HC had initiated suo motu proceedings three days later, where from time to time it passed a slew of directions on installation of CCTV cameras, streetlights in dark corners of the city and making public transport safer, pushing authorities for accountability.However, analysis of court documents reveals since 2023, few effective directions have been passed in the PIL where the court declared its intention to monitor and enforce steps to make public spaces safe and tighten law enforcement.In Dec 2023, a bench led by Justice V Kameshwar Rao last conducted a detailed hearing and asked Delhi govt to examine and inform “the feasibility of installing cameras and alert buttons at the driver and conductor seat in DTC buses”.HC also sought to know the timeframe within which data of CCTV cameras installed in various parts of Delhi is secured/preserved/saved, along with information on whether any audit has been conducted on the working of CCTV camera systems.Court orders show that till July 2025, Delhi govt asked for and was granted more time to furnish the details. Since then, the PIL somehow couldn’t be taken up, either because the Chief Justice’s bench didn’t assemble on the day it was listed, or because the matter didn’t reach for a hearing.In fact, in 12 subsequent hearings when the PIL was listed since the 2023 order, not much is recorded in court orders, except one line assigning a fresh date of hearing.Advocate Meera Bhatia, who was appointed amicus curiae in the matter by HC, told TOI it is only due to past court orders that progress has been made in making the city safer.“I recommended Delhi govt should place posters in buses and other public transport, apart from places like parks, towards creating awareness against eve-teasing and sexual offences such as rape, and mention these are serious and punishable offences. This would certainly act as a deterrent. In cinema halls, there should be a brief message making people aware that rape carries the death penalty.”“I hope the suo moto PIL gets priority since constant monitoring by HC is crucial, it keeps city authorities on their toes. Panic buttons on lamp posts and lighting up dark corners are public interest projects,” Bhatia said.Delhi govt had earlier informed HC installation of panic buttons on CCTV poles was under active consideration of Delhi Police’s technology division. It also submitted in 2023 that 6,630 CCTV cameras were strategically placed in vulnerable areas and monitored through 50 master control rooms.In key directions issued in the PIL, HC had ordered an increase in the number of police officers in Delhi, CCTV installation in police stations and crime-prone areas, reducing delays in testing of samples at FSL, and ensuring speedy disbursal of compensation to the survivors.The same proceedings saw HC in 2019 question Delhi govt over tardy utilisation of Nirbhaya fund, announced in 2013. Delhi Police’s single emergency helpline number ‘112’ also came under the scanner, but was found functional when tested.The matter was last listed on Sept 9 before a bench headed by Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and is now slated to be taken up in Nov.
