Police taking prompt action on complaints of harassment of women, HC told

The Delhi High Court has disposed of a PIL after being told by the city government that prompt action is taken when any incident of misbehaviour with women is reported to the police and the Commissioner of Police personally monitors registration of FIRs on complaints about incidents of harassment.

The Delhi government also submitted before the court that CCTV cameras and GPS systems have already been installed in all Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses where marshals have been posted for safety and security of passengers.

The submissions were made before a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad which was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the state government to ensure that all the DTC buses and other public transport buses in Delhi and NCR are fitted with CCTV cameras and other security and safety features within a stipulated time frame.

“In light of the detailed and exhaustive reply and steps taken by the state government, this court is of the opinion that no further orders are called for in the present PIL. The same is, accordingly, disposed of,” the bench said in an order passed on January 6.

The petition, filed in 2017, sought a direction to the Police Commissioner to issue a public notice inviting the general public to report incidents of cognizable offence about which they had lodged complaint at a police station but it was not converted into an FIR, and initiate an enquiry against the erring police officials.

It also sought directions to all police stations to register an FIR immediately in the event of a cognizable offence being reported.