'Serious Allegations': Supreme Court Issues Notice On Woman Lawyer's Plea Alleging Custodial Sexual Assault At Noida PS
The woman was allegedly subjected to 14 hours of "illegal detention, custodial sexual assault, torture and coercion" at Sector 126 police station in Noida.
By Sumit Saxena
Published : December 19, 2025 at 2:52 PM IST
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Centre, Uttar Pradesh government and others on a plea filed by a woman advocate alleging illegal detention and custodial sexual assault at a police station in Noida.
In the petition, the woman claimed that she was subjected to 14 hours of "illegal detention, custodial sexual assault, torture and coercion" by police personnel at the Sector 126 police station in Noida late on the night of December 3 while she was discharging her professional duty towards her client.
When the matter came up before a bench comprising justices Vikram Nath and NV Anjaria, senior advocate Vikas Singh, representing the petitioner, contended that CCTV cameras at the police station should be immediately seized and added that even the complainant was forced to withdraw his complaint.
The bench initially asked why the petitioner did not approach the Allahabad High Court with her grievance. "We have all the sympathy. Let the high court take appropriate action," the bench observed.
Singh said the apex court may transfer the petition to the high court. "The difficulty is if we start entertaining this (plea), all matters from all around Delhi will come to the Supreme Court only," the bench said. Singh requested the bench to take this as some kind of a "test case".
Singh stressed that it was a very gross case where a woman advocate was "sexually mauled" and kept under illegal detention. “If it is happening in Noida, just imagine the plight of the entire country,” Singh said.
The bench said normally it would not have entertained the plea under Article 32 of the Constitution, and would have given liberty to the petitioner to approach the jurisdictional high court.
However, after Singh persuaded the bench saying that it is a serious matter, the bench said considering serious allegations made in the petition and the fact the issue also relates to blocking of CCTVs cameras for the duration of the incident at the police station.
"As this bench is monitoring the installation and functioning of the CCTV cameras, in an incident in Rajasthan. We are entertaining this petition. Issue notice…In the meantime, the Commissioner of Police, Gautam Buddha Nagar, is directed to ensure that the CCTV footage of the concerned police station for the concerned duration is neither destroyed nor deleted, and is kept in sealed cover," said the bench.
After the bench passed the order, Singh raised the issue of protection to the petitioner. "They will dare not touch her after passing of this order," the bench said. The bench is likely to take up the matter on January 7.
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