HT impact: HC raps Delhi govt, police over ‘pathetic’ state of one-stop centres for women

The court directed the government to urgently publicise the existence of OSCs and their helpline numbers—through advertisements in at least two newspapers amongst other solutions.

The Delhi high court on Wednesday pulled up the Delhi government and the Delhi Police for the poor state of the capital’s one-stop centres (OSCs), which are meant to support women affected by violence, after taking note of a Hindustan Times report that exposed dire conditions, staff shortages, and infrastructure gaps at several OSCs.

The one stop centre at Lok Nayak Hospital is an exception as it boasts a clean, fully equipped shelter with AC rooms, on-site staff housing, and a dedicated vehicle. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

HT’s June 24 report, “Locked doors and empty rooms: Delhi’s one-stop centres are falling apart”, flagged how centres at the Tihar prison complex, Shahdara, Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial (BJRM) Hospital and Lok Nayak Hospital were operating with little to no staff and minimal facilities.

A bench of chief justice DK Upadhyay and justice Tushar Rao Gedela said the report “gives a telling story of the pathetic situation prevailing in OSCs” and criticised both the Delhi government and the police for failing to take “necessary steps and action” to implement and promote the purpose of these centres.

“Today, a news report published by HT in its Delhi edition has been brought to our notice by the counsel for the petitioner... Though the report mentions at least one such centre, running at Lok Nayak Hospital, where facilities were found to be adequate, the report also talks of inadequate infrastructure at these centres and paucity of staff to take care of the victims for whose benefit these centres were established,” the court said.

It added, “The Delhi government has filed an affidavit on May 19, 2025—detailing the steps they have taken. We are not satisfied with the steps and measures taken by the Delhi government and the Delhi Police so far as publicity and creating awareness about these centres are concerned. We are constrained to observe that necessary steps and action have not been taken.”

The court directed the government to urgently publicise the existence of OSCs and their helpline numbers—through advertisements in at least two newspapers and signboards at schools, hospitals, railway stations, bus terminals, markets, and police stations. It also ordered immediate recruitment to fill staff vacancies, payment of pending salaries, and strengthening of infrastructure.

The case stems from a petition filed by NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan, represented by advocate Prabhsahay Kaur. The plea had raised concerns over salary delays, absence of deputed police officers, and procedural gaps—particularly the lack of police awareness around child marriage and minor pregnancy cases, which often compounded trauma for victims.

“OSCs have been established to cater to the special needs of crime victims who are vulnerable by virtue of the nature of the offence they have suffered. Keeping any One Stop Centre understaffed defeats the very purpose of its existence,” the court said.

The NGO said the lack of awareness among police personnel about procedures in cases involving underage pregnancies and child marriages had caused additional trauma to the victims.

The bench also asked the government to circulate standard operating procedures (SOPs) related to child pregnancies and child marriages to police personnel and OSC staff, and to appoint a nodal officer for implementation and monitoring. It directed the administration to issue appropriate circulars to ensure these protocols are followed.

The court scheduled the next hearing for October 15.

The OSCs were launched in November 2019 to assist women facing gender-based violence—whether domestic, sexual, or psychological—under a single roof, in compliance with the Supreme Court’s December 2018 direction to set up such centres in every district.

Since taking office in February, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta has repeatedly backed the centres and promised to establish 11 more—one in each district.