Supreme Court issues directions on women's safety in Delhi, from driver verification to Shishtachar squads

9 October 2026

In the suo motu case In Re: Recent Rape Incidents in Delhi NCR, a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran issued a set of directions in an order dated October 5.
Drivers and assistants of government and private buses, app-based aggregators such as Ola, Uber and Rapido, and private cabs and autos must be verified, with their names and photographs displayed inside the vehicles.
Uniforms or visible identification are to be prescribed and unauthorised sub-letting of vehicles barred, with vehicle seizure and driver suspension for non-compliance.
The Commissioner of Police and the Chief Secretary must file a joint report on dedicated control-room command centres and real-time response protocols.
Weekly reports covering the preceding three months were sought on the Shishtachar Squads, with status reports on Operation Nirbheek and the Nazuk Scheme.
Police were directed to remove unlawfully parked heavy vehicles that create blind spots and to act against unauthorised liquor shops and eateries supplying liquor.
Preventive policing is to be built into police induction and refresher training through the Bureau of Police Research and Development.
Amicus curiae Senior Advocate Liz Mathew cited a 2020 report of the Comptroller and Auditor General showing a 39 per cent vacancy in active police station and beat patrol duties in Delhi. The next hearing is on November 16.