K'taka draws SC ire for not replying on missing kids

The Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up the chief secretaries of Karnataka and Tripura for failing to respond to its orders relating to missing children cases.

Hearing a PIL from Bachpan Bachao Andolan a three-judge bench presided over by Justice H L Dattu sought the presence of the top bureaucrats from the states on October 30. The court also issued a notice to the Centre and all states on a fresh plea made by the NGO, which sought direction to formulate a national action plan for children on the issue of drugs, alcohol and abuse of substances among them.

Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate H S Phoolka pointed out that the states had not responded to last year’s apex court orders of January 17 and May 10.

The states were given time till October 17 to respond to the court on the FIR figures that were registered in cases of missing children, number of police stations with juvenile welfare officers, appointment of paralegal officers, presence of NGOs working in the field, anti-human trafficking units, shelters and presence of after-care homes.

Deciding to examine responses of two states on each date of hearing, the apex court summoned the chief secretaries and director generals of police in Bihar and Chhattisgarh, as these states filed affidavits with fewer number of FIRs than the reported number of missing children.