The Delhi high court on Wednesday pulled up the Delhi police for suspending only junior-level policemen for dereliction of duty in connection with the December 16 brutal gangrape of a 23-year-old paramedic student.
The court also wanted to know why senior police officers, including Delhi police chief Neeraj Kumar, have not been made accountable. Pressure has been mounting on the Union home ministry to take action against both Mr Kumar and Union home secretary R.K. Singh for the way the incident and its aftermath were handled.
A bench headed by Chief Justice D. Murugesan said, “Why only ACP, why not DCP, why has not the commissioner been put to task?” The court also expressed anguish at the non-disclosure of the names of the policemen who were patrolling the areas where the woman was raped in a moving bus on December 16. The court also warned the city police that it cannot be blamed for any “consequential order”.
The bench observed that despite “sufficient” opportunities, the names of the police personnel have not been provided.