<p>The Supreme Court on Thursday decided to examine the issue of women’s safety in app-based taxis and other public transport systems.<br /><br />After being told that the regulation of internet-based taxi operators and other public transport systems was criticial in the view of December 16, 2012 incident of gang-rape in a moving bus in Delhi, a bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta agreed to look into the matter.<br /><br />“The issue of regulating public transport, including internet-based taxi services, will be taken up on December 7, 2017,” the bench said.<br /><br />Senior advocate Indira Jaising, assisting as amicus curiae, contended that none of the internet-based taxi operators has its offices in the country.<br /><br />“Those having offices are only for name-sake and there is no data available in this regard. In London, one of the prominent operators has been banned. We need some regulations here,” she said.<br /><br />The counsel, appearing on a petition filed by advocate Nipun Saxena after the infamous Delhi gang-rape case, also raised the issue of victim compensation in sexual offences and acid attacks, saying there should be a uniform scheme in all states.<br /><br />She also sought direction for setting up a sex offenders’ registry, mandatory reporting in such offences and in preparing media guidelines.<br /><br />The court directed Alok Agrawal, member secretary, National Legal Services Authority to set up a committee that can prepare model rules for compensation for sexual offences and acid attacks.<br /><br />Jaising also sought direction to the trial court in Chandigarh to dispense with the recording of the statement of a 10-year-old rape victim who recently gave birth to a boy, in view of her formal statement and DNA reports indicting her uncle. The court declined this request.</p>
<p>The Supreme Court on Thursday decided to examine the issue of women’s safety in app-based taxis and other public transport systems.<br /><br />After being told that the regulation of internet-based taxi operators and other public transport systems was criticial in the view of December 16, 2012 incident of gang-rape in a moving bus in Delhi, a bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta agreed to look into the matter.<br /><br />“The issue of regulating public transport, including internet-based taxi services, will be taken up on December 7, 2017,” the bench said.<br /><br />Senior advocate Indira Jaising, assisting as amicus curiae, contended that none of the internet-based taxi operators has its offices in the country.<br /><br />“Those having offices are only for name-sake and there is no data available in this regard. In London, one of the prominent operators has been banned. We need some regulations here,” she said.<br /><br />The counsel, appearing on a petition filed by advocate Nipun Saxena after the infamous Delhi gang-rape case, also raised the issue of victim compensation in sexual offences and acid attacks, saying there should be a uniform scheme in all states.<br /><br />She also sought direction for setting up a sex offenders’ registry, mandatory reporting in such offences and in preparing media guidelines.<br /><br />The court directed Alok Agrawal, member secretary, National Legal Services Authority to set up a committee that can prepare model rules for compensation for sexual offences and acid attacks.<br /><br />Jaising also sought direction to the trial court in Chandigarh to dispense with the recording of the statement of a 10-year-old rape victim who recently gave birth to a boy, in view of her formal statement and DNA reports indicting her uncle. The court declined this request.</p>
