NEW DELHI: There are over 2,800 child trafficking cases awaiting trial in courts across the country, with Tamil Nadu alone accounting for the highest 748 cases, followed by Jharkhand (386), Delhi (269) and Rajasthan (256), reveals a recent Supreme Court order, citing data submitted by all the high courts.
In April last year, the Supreme Court had asked all high courts to submit reports on child trafficking cases pending in lower courts under their jurisdiction. It also asked the high courts to issue a circular directing the district courts to complete trial of those pending cases within six months.
According to information released by all the high courts, except the Patna High Court, which is yet to submit its report, the total number of child trafficking cases awaiting trial across the country stands at 2,846, with Tamil Nadu reporting more than a quarter of these cases.
“Trafficking of children and infants is on a rampage. We will not spare anyone who fails to take necessary action. Any inactivity on the part of states and union territories will be taken seriously,” a bench of Justices JP Pardiwala and K Viswanathan observed in an order on February 26.
The remarks came after senior advocate Aparna Bhatt, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae, cited fresh incidents of child trafficking to illustrate how interstate gang members are involved in such crimes.
In its order issued in April last year, the Supreme Court had directed that child trafficking prosecutions be terminated within six months from the date the Supreme Court concerned issued a circular. In compliance with the order, all the High Courts issued the necessary circular between June and September 2025.
Interestingly, the Calcutta High Court submitted two reports to the Supreme Court. Its initial report submitted in September 2025 showed a total of 1,317 child trafficking prosecutions (1,313 in West Bengal and four in Andaman and Nicobar) as of June 15, 2025. Of these, 1,156 cases were reported in Murshidabad district, on the border with Bangladesh.
Its second report submitted in December 2025 pegged the total child trafficking prosecutions at 227 (223 in West Bengal and four in Andaman and Nicobar) as of August 30, 2025. In the second report, the number of pending cases in Murshidabad had fallen to 16.
Other states with high cases of child trafficking include Assam (191), Kerala (118), Uttar Pradesh (112), Maharashtra (107), and Karnataka (67). In the northeast, Meghalaya reported 15 pending cases, Arunachal Pradesh (nine), Manipur and Tripura (three each), while Mizoram and Nagaland reported no cases.
Amicus Curiae Bhat asserted that once the figures issued by the Patna High Court are made available, necessary directions may be issued to all high courts to ensure speedy trial of such cases. The case was adjourned for hearing on April 8.
The Supreme Court order came in April last year in a case reported in Uttar Pradesh, where a one-year-old boy went missing near Varanasi’s Cantt area. The investigation led police to a multi-state child trafficking ring whose members admitted to selling the child.
