The Supreme Court on Friday pulled up the Home Ministry for sitting on crucial video material about a gang rape highlighted in the “Shame the Rapist” campaign launched by activist Sunitha Krishnan.

The Social Justice Bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice U.U. Lalit found the Ministry made no move to hand over the video evidence to the CBI for over 20 days.

It received the videos on February 10 from Ms. Krishnan, but chose to pass them on to the CBI only on March 5. Despite repeated queries from the Bench to explain its conduct, the Ministry had nothing to offer.

“So between February 10 and March 5, you just sat on these videos. You people did not do anything ... only yesterday you filed the FIRs,” Justice Lokur told Additional Solicitor-General Maninder Singh, who appeared for the Ministry.

The court directed Mr. Singh to name the officer who received the video evidence from Ms. Krishnan, and demanded a full explanation on “What you were doing all that time till March 5.”

The court, during the previous hearing on February 27, took suo motu cognisance of a letter by Prajwala, a non-governmental organisation of Ms. Krishnan, highlighting the existence of the videos and the immediate necessity to nab the culprits. The Bench had ordered the CBI investigation.

In the videos, five men are seen smiling into the camera after taking turns at sexually assaulting their victim.

Mr. Singh said the videos showed a total of 12 clips, of which three were repeats. He said eight FIRs had been filed and a preliminary inquiry had started on one.

“Unless you pounce on these criminals, they will repeat the act. Clips show the rapists proudly display their faces ... Not only have they committed the crime, but these clips were generated for pleasure. Deal with them with an iron hand,” Justice Lalit told Mr. Singh.

The court ordered the Ministry to share the photos with the Directors-General of Police in Odisha, West Bengal and U.P. where these men may hail from.

“Publish it everywhere. They wanted their faces to be seen everywhere, is it not?” Justice Lalit said.