HC seeks Delhi govt response on 2012 PIL on women’s safety

The Delhi High Court has sought a response from the Delhi government on a PIL pertaining to women’s safety in the national Capital.

In response to a petition initiated in 2012, the division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula has granted the Delhi government’s request and allotted a six-week timeframe for a response.

The court’s attention was drawn to this issue as part of an ongoing Public Interest Litigation (PIL) initiated in 2012 concerning the safety and security of women in the national Capital, particularly in light of the Nirbhaya gang rape case.

Advocate Meera Bhatia, serving as Amicus Curiae, suggested that the Delhi government should consider displaying such posters, highlighting that, “Eve-teasing should be treated as a serious and punishable offence”, with awareness initiatives acting as an effective deterrent.

The Delhi government, during the court hearing, revealed that it is actively considering the installation of push-to-talk or panic buttons on CCTV poles in collaboration with Delhi Police’s Technology Division.

In response to this development, the Delhi High Court has granted the Delhi government six weeks to deliberate on the matter. On another front, the legal counsel representing Bharat Electronics Limited informed the court that a total of 6,630 CCTV cameras have already been installed in various vulnerable areas across the national capital, and these cameras are currently operational.

As of August, the Delhi Police had reported that these installed CCTV cameras are being monitored from 50 master control rooms.

The court has scheduled the next hearing on December 19 to further address the matter. The legal counsel for Delhi Police also requested time to evaluate the proposal of installing panic buttons on poles, indicating that the authorities would carefully consider this suggestion.

In response to the court’s request for the government’s stance on the anti-eve-teasing posters, an official from the Delhi government stated, “The Delhi government acknowledges the importance of raising awareness against eve-teasing and strengthening women’s safety in the national capital. We will diligently consider the proposal for placing posters and hoardings in public transport, taking into account the view that such initiatives may act as a deterrent.”