Bus tied to Delhi gangrape violated SC norms: 'Tinted windows, no tracker'

In 2012, the SC prohibited the use of black films or any other material (such as curtains) upon safety glass, window screens and side glass of all vehicles

Updated on: May 15, 2026, 07:02:15 IST

By Hemani Bhandari, Jignasa Sinha

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A private Bihar-registered bus, inside which a 30-year-old woman was allegedly gangraped by two men on Tuesday, had tinted windows, heavy curtains and no location tracker in violation of rules and guidelines, police said on Thursday. The bus allegedly took an 8km route in outer Delhi that crossed at least two police booths, HT found.

Delhi police say bus in which a woman was gangraped violated Supreme Court norms. (Representative image/HT) (Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times file photo)

In 2012, the Supreme Court prohibited the use of black films or any other material (such as curtains or mesh) upon safety glass, window screens and side glass of all vehicles. In 2016, the ministry of road transport and highways issued a notification mandating vehicle location tracking devices and emergency buttons in all public service vehicles. These two features were absent in the bus.

Police said that the woman, a Pitampura resident, entered the bus around 12.15am at the Saraswati Vihar bus stand, which is about 700 metres from an integrated police booth of the Rani Bagh police station. Moving on the Outer Ring Road, the bus allegedly passed by the Raj Park police booth and reached the Peeragarhi junction, where another police booth was situated.

When HT travelled along the alleged route taken by the bus – according to the police – five police officers were present at the junction.

Police said that from the junction, the bus allegedly took the Delhi-Rohtak Road towards the Nangloi railway station and was eventually parked nearby. The alleged route had several CCTV cameras.

“Thousands of vehicles take that route and the officials present on the route did not hear anyone screaming or asking for help,” said a senior police officer.

Police said both accused, Umesh Kumar and Ramendra Kumar, had valid permits obtained by the company for operating interstate buses.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hemani Bhandari
Hemani Bhandari is a Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in New Delhi, where she reports on crime, policing, governance and social issues. With over a decade of experience in journalism, she specialises in combining on-ground reporting with evidence-based storytelling to examine the human impact of public policy, law enforcement and urban governance. Over the years, she has reported extensively on major developments in the capital, including crime investigations, civic challenges, protests, and issues affecting vulnerable communities. As a Special Correspondent, she focuses on producing exclusive investigations, enterprise stories and long-form features that go beyond daily news cycles. She has a keen interest in using public records, official data and field reporting to uncover systemic issues and present complex subjects in an accessible manner. A graduate of the Asian College of Journalism, Hemani believes in rigorous, ethical and evidence-based reporting. She is passionate about investigative journalism and continuously seeks to expand her skills in data journalism, open-source investigations and digital reporting techniques.Read More
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jignasa Sinha
Jignasa Sinha is a Special Correspondent at Hindustan Times in New Delhi. With more than six years of reporting experience, she covers crime and policing in the national capital. Her beats also include Delhi prisons, the Delhi Fire Services and Delhi courts, while she regularly reports on gender, labour and social justice. Over the course of her career, Jignasa has reported on major criminal investigations, international crime syndicates, high-profile cyber fraud cases, law-and-order developments, protests, disasters and public institutions. Her reporting combines breaking news with in-depth, long form, human interest stories that examine the human impact of public policy, policing and the criminal justice system. In addition to reporting for the newspaper, she contributes to the Hindustan Times website and app, and plays an active role in coordinating on-ground coverage of major developments and breaking news across Delhi. Before joining Hindustan Times, Jignasa worked at The Indian Express newspaper in New Delhi, where she spent five years covering crime, Delhi airport, courts and health. She began her journalism career as an intern at an AI magazine in Bengaluru while pursuing her postgraduate diploma in multimedia journalism at the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media.Read More

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