India, Sept. 29 -- The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up the Delhi government and police for a "systemic failure" to guarantee basic public safety, taking suo motu cognisance of recent sexual offences across Delhi-NCR and ordering the Commissioner of Police to immediately audit public spaces in the Capital, observing that parks, roads, and public places cannot be permitted to become "zones of high risk" to citizens.

The court directed the Commissioner to constitute dedicated teams in every police district, headed by officers not below the rank of deputy superintendent of police, to inspect parks, isolated stretches, transport hubs, markets, areas around educational institutions and other vulnerable locations for gaps in lighting, surveil...