Noida-Delhi bus gang-rape: Vehicle had 12 pending challans, safety breaches worth ₹63,000
A 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped inside a sleeper bus by its driver and conductor while traveling between Delhi and Noida. The bus, which has since been seized by the police, had been operating with 12 pending challans totaling ₹63,000, according to records accessed by The Hindu.
The vehicle, registered as UP 83 ET 3789, had accumulated the challans between May 11 and June 23, 2026, with nine issued in June alone. One challan of ₹26,000 was issued under Sections 192A and 66 of the Motor Vehicles Act for driving a vehicle without a permit or in contravention of permit conditions, and Section 190(2) for violations relating to retro-reflective tape and speed-limit devices in commercial vehicles.
Nine of the 12 challans, each of ₹4,000, were for exceeding prescribed speed limits. Two others, of ₹500 each, were for parking and other traffic rule violations by the driver. Despite the repeated violations and unpaid fines, the bus remained in service, indicating a pattern of non-compliance that went unaddressed by authorities.
The vehicle also had curtains around its sleeper berths, preventing outsiders from seeing inside. Such partitions in sleeper buses have come under scrutiny following the incident, with the National Human Rights Commission pointing to violations of guidelines issued by the Central Institute of Road Transport. The CCTV camera installed inside the bus was also found to be non-functional at the time of the incident.
The case has also highlighted the lack of coordination between the Delhi and Uttar Pradesh police forces. Greater Noida Deputy Commissioner of Police Ravi Shankar Nim told The Hindu that the Delhi Police had not contacted the Gautam Buddh Nagar Police regarding the case. "The Delhi Police did not contact us at all. They are the ones who registered the case, arrested the accused and lodged them in jail. Neither did the complainant come to us nor did the Delhi Police reach out to us, so we could not do anything," he said. He added that the Delhi Police could have transferred the case to the Uttar Pradesh Police after registering a zero FIR, had the incident fallen within the latter's jurisdiction.
Delhi Police, however, said the Kashmere Gate police station had acted immediately after the girl approached it, keeping jurisdictional considerations aside given the seriousness of the case. Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Niharika Bhatt said: "Looking at the seriousness of the issue and as per the new laws, the Kashmere Gate police station got the girl medically examined and registered a case, keeping aside the jurisdictional issues. With the help of CCTV footage and the victim, the bus was identified and subsequently the accused were arrested."
The episode has triggered criticism over police response, enforcement of transport regulations, and the safety of women and children on public transport. Abhijeet Dipke, founder of civil rights group CJP, questioned how the bus could travel several kilometres without being intercepted. "The bus kept going for 47 kilometres but no one could save the girl. No police tried to stop it or saw it. What is the Delhi Police doing? During the protest at Jantar Mantar, thousands of police and RAF personnel were deployed. Why can't the same level of deployment be used for women's safety?" he asked. He also called the incident a failure of the police and the Home Minister, saying "In 2026, why is a girl still not feeling safe in Delhi?"
