No safety, dignity for women in Delhi: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Friday expressed concern over the recent brutal gang rape and murder in Delhi, stating there is no safety in the capital as such incidents keep on happening repeatedly.

"There is no safety in the city and it has to come back," a bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra said while pointing out that the December 16 incident was not an isolated one and "it is being repeated in the city."

The bench said it was concerned about providing a safe environment for women so that they can live with dignity.

The bench made the remarks while hearing a PIL filed by a law student pleading with the court to pass directions for making the city safer for its citizens and for setting up a Criminal Injuries Compensation Board for the payment of compensation to victims of rape.

He also submitted that licences of vehicles -- which violated the Motor Vehicles Act – should be cancelled.

The court said the bus owner should not be allowed to run buses on a route on which a bus owned by him violates the law.

"We are more concerned about a safe environment where women can work with honour and dignity and that must be restored," the bench said while issuing notices to the Centre, the National Capital Territory government and the National Commission for Women, asking them to file their responses within two weeks.