'Gangs operating across country': Supreme Court asks states to act vigilantly in child trafficking cases

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has expressed grave concern over rising cases of child trafficking, saying gangs are operating across the country and if states and Union territories do not take immediate action, things will go beyond control.

The court said only the state governments and their home departments can act vigilantly in this regard.

“As a court we can monitor, but ultimately the action has to be on the part of the state government, the police and other agencies. Therefore, this is our humble request,” a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan said during the hearing of a plea on Wednesday.

The bench expressed displeasure over the “lackadaisical” approach of several states and UTs in implementing a 2025 judgment aimed at dismantling organised trafficking networks.

Justice Viswanathan said the retrieval of children in some cases proves the problem can be tackled, but it requires a level of political and administrative will which is lacking at present.

The verdict, delivered on April 15, 2025, had mandated several institutional reforms, including completion of trials in trafficking cases within six months on a day-to-day basis.

It had also directed strengthening of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and improving investigation standards.

Besides asking for the setting up of state-level committees to monitor vulnerable trafficking hotspots, it had asked the authorities to treat missing children cases as trafficking unless proven otherwise.

Earlier, the bench had termed the compliance reports filed by a few states as “nothing but an eye wash.” On Wednesday, the bench noted that Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha and Punjab had still failed to file reports in the prescribed format.

When the home secretary of Madhya Pradesh offered an apology for the lapse, the bench granted a “final opportunity” but warned that continued failure would lead to states being officially branded as “defaulting”.

The bench noted that at least 15 states are yet to constitute review committees mandated to identify and monitor trafficking-prone areas.

The court fixed the matter for consideration on April 29.