NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Center to ascertain whether there is a nationwide network or state-specific groups behind the disappearance of children from different parts of the country.
Make sure there is a nationwide network behind missing children: SC to CenterA bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuiyan stressed the need to ascertain whether there is a pattern behind the incidents or if they are random incidents and asked the Center to collect data from all states.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, said some states have given their data on missing children and trials, but about a dozen states have not.
He submitted that analysis can be done only after the central government gets complete information.
“We want to know if there is a nationwide network or state-specific group behind all these incidents where children go missing. Is this a pattern or just a random occurrence?” Bench said to Bhatti.
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The apex court advised Bhatti that the rescued children should be interviewed to find out who is responsible for such incidents. The bench also criticized states that did not provide data and said it could pass strict orders if necessary.
Senior lawyer Aparna Bhat said the Center has taken the initiative and directions will be issued to all states to provide the information.
The bench was hearing a PIL filed by an NGO, ‘Guria Swayam Sevi Sanstha’, which highlighted the increasing number of children who remain unaccounted for in various states.
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On December 9, the apex court directed the Center to provide six years of nationwide data on missing children and to appoint a dedicated officer in the Union Home Ministry to ensure effective coordination with states and Union Territories in the compilation of such data.
The apex court had earlier directed all states and union territories to appoint dedicated nodal officers to monitor 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 apex court expressed its concern over a news report which claimed that a child goes missing every eight minutes in the country and described it as a serious problem. It said the adoption process in the country was complicated and asked the Center to streamline the process.
The apex court observed that as the adoption process is rigid, it is bound to be violated and people resort to illegal means to have children. It had earlier asked the Center to create a dedicated online portal under the Home Ministry to trace missing children and investigate such cases.
The bench pointed out the lack of coordination between the police authorities tasked with tracing missing children in the states and Union Territories of the country. It said that the portal could have a dedicated officer from each state who would be in charge of disseminating information as well as filing complaints.
The NGO had approached the apex court and highlighted the pending cases of abduction or disappearance of children, as well as necessary action should be taken based on the information available with the missing/discovered portal monitored by the Government of India.
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The petition bases its argument on five cases registered in Uttar Pradesh last year where minor boys and girls were abducted and trafficked to states like Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan through a network of middlemen.
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