The Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance on Monday, September 28, 2026, of recent alleged rape cases in Delhi-NCR and directed the registry to register a suo motu PIL. The bench comprised Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran.

The court referred to three alleged incidents: the alleged gang-rape of a 17-year-old at Astha Kunj Park on September 21; the alleged gang-rape of a 16-year-old inside a sleeper bus in Greater Noida on August 4, with the driver and conductor arrested; and the gang-rape and murder of a teenage girl in Swaroop Nagar. All are allegations under judicial consideration.

The bench said the incidents “starkly highlight a failure of law enforcement” and called for fixing accountability. It drew a “painful parallel” with the 2012 Nirbhaya case, asking “whether lessons have been learnt,” and said public spaces cannot become high-risk zones from poor lighting and surveillance.

At least 13 sexual assault cases have been reported from Delhi this month, and hundreds of students protested last week after the park incident. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta acknowledged lapses and promised better security; police increased night patrols and 30 companies of paramilitary were deployed.