Ascertain If Any Nationwide Network Is Behind Children Going Missing: SC to Centre
The top court suggested to Bhati that children who have been rescued should be interviewed to ascertain who is responsible for such incidents.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to ascertain whether there was a nationwide network or state-specific group behind the incidents of children going missing from different parts of the country. A bench of Justice B.V. Nagrathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan emphasised the need to ascertain whether there was a pattern behind these incidents or if they are random ones, and asked the Centre to collate data from all states, PTI reported.
Additional solicitor-general Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, said some states had given their data on missing children and that of prosecution, but around a dozen states had not done so. Analysis can be made only after the Union government gets complete data.
The top 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 had taken the initiative and direction be issued to all states to furnish the data.
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.
On December 9, the top 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.
The top court 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 in 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.
The top court remarked that as the adoption process is rigorous, it is bound to be flouted, and people go for illegal means to have children. It had earlier asked the Centre to create a dedicated online portal under the aegis of the Home Ministry to trace missing children and investigate such cases, according to PTI.
The bench had underlined the lack of coordination among police authorities entrusted with the job of tracing missing children in states and Union territories in the country. It had said that the portal could have a dedicated officer from each state who could be in charge of missing complaints, besides disseminating information.
