On Friday, the Supreme Court issued sweeping directions to strengthen India’s response to missing children and human trafficking cases, mandating immediate registration of FIRs without preliminary inquiry and ordering the creation of a nationwide police coordination grid. The Court expressed deep concern over the growing number of missing children who remain untraced, warning that the issue has not received the seriousness it deserves from authorities.
A Division Bench of Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice R. Mahadevan took up the issue while dealing with a plea filed by G Ganesh, whose minor daughter went missing from Chennai in 2011 and remained untraced despite investigations by multiple agencies. Troubled by the broader systemic failures emerging from the case, the Court expanded the scope of the proceedings to examine the nationwide crisis of missing children and human trafficking.
The Bench directed that every complaint relating to a missing child must immediately lead to registration of an FIR under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita dealing with kidnapping and abduction, without insisting on any preliminary process from guardians. It further ordered that cases indicating trafficking be transferred to Anti-Human Trafficking Units immediately, without waiting for the existing four-month period to expire.
The Court criticised the poor functioning of Anti-Human Trafficking Units across several States, observing that many existed only “on paper.” Stressing the gravity of the crisis, the Bench remarked, “The more I read about it, the more I feel I am so unaware of the ground reality. This is a massive issue. Nobody is realising the seriousness of the issue.” The Court also directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to establish an all-India police grid and a dedicated portal for trafficking, missing children and missing women cases, linked with existing crime-tracking systems. It further ordered immediate restoration of rescued children to families, Aadhaar verification upon recovery, and appointment of competent nodal officers by States to ensure effective coordination in trafficking investigations.
The matter has now been listed for further hearing in August.
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