Delhi not safe for women, make it so: SC to govt

The Supreme Court on Friday slammed the Central and state governments for their inability to provide a safe environment for women.

“There is no safety in Delhi. We are concerned about providing a safe environment for women to live with dignity,” the top court said while expressing concern on the issue as it issued notices to the central government, the National Commission for Women and the Delhi government’s State Transport Authority.

During the hearing of a PIL filed by a Delhi University student, Nipun Saxena, that says the apex court’s 16-year-old direction to establish the compensation board had not been followed so far, a bench of justices KS Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra reiterated that “We are more concerned about safe environment where women can work with honour and dignity and that must be restored.” The bench said, “Renewed concerns have been made as the court is seized of PILs that raise a variety of serious issues affecting the life and liberty of women in Delhi and elsewhere in the country.”

Saxena’s lawsuit also questions the validity of the two finger test conducted on rape victims.
Meanwhile, a former Supreme Court judge A K Ganguli has criticised the delay in the trial of rape cases and said the judiciary never treated women with dignity. “I want to say that we have never treated women with dignity,” Justice Ganguly said in an interview with a TV channel.