SC asks Centre to find out if any nationwide network behind children going missing

The bench was hearing a PIL filed by an NGO, ‘Guria Swayam Sevi Sansthan’, that highlighted the rising number of children who remain untraced across several states.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to find out if there is a nationwide network or state-specific group behind the incidents of children going missing from different parts of the country.

A bench of Justices B V Nagrathna and Ujjal Bhuyan asked the Centre to collate data from all states to ascertain whether there is a pattern behind these incidents or if they are random ones.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, said some states have given their data on missing children and that of prosecution, but around a dozen states have not given their data.

She submitted that the analysis can be made only after the Union government gets complete data.

"We want to know whether there is a nationwide network or state-specific group behind these incidents where children go missing. Is it a pattern or just a random incident?" the bench asked Bhati.

The court suggested to Bhati that children who have been rescued should be interviewed to ascertain who is responsible for such incidents.

The bench was also critical of the states that have not furnished the data, and said it may pass harsh orders if needed.

Senior advocate Aparna Bhatt said the Centre has taken the initiative and direction should be issued to all states to furnish the data.

A PIL filed by an NGO 'Guria Swayam Sevi Sansthan' flagged the rising number of children who remain untraced across several states.

On December 9, the court directed the Centre to furnish six years of nationwide data on missing children and to appoint a dedicated officer in the Union home ministry for ensuring effective coordination with states and Union Territories in compiling such data.

It had earlier directed all states and Union Territories to depute dedicated nodal officers to oversee cases of missing children and to ensure that such details are promptly uploaded on a portal run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

On November 18, last year, the top court voiced its concern over a news report that claimed that a child goes missing in the country every eight minutes, and described it as a serious issue. It had said the adoption process in the country is complicated and asked the Centre to streamline the mechanism.