New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Centre to ascertain whether there is a nationwide network or State-specific group behind the incidents of children going missing from different parts of the country, reports PTI.
A Bench of Justices B V Nagrathna and Ujjal Bhuyan emphasised the need to ascertain whether there is a pattern behind these incidents or if they are random ones, and asked the Centre to collate data from all States.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, said some states have given their data on missing children and that of prosecution, but around a dozen states have not given their data.
She submitted that the analysis can be made only after the Union government gets complete data.
“We want to know whether there is a nationwide networ
k or state-specific group behind these incidents where children go missing. Is it a pattern or just a random incident?” the Bench told Bhati
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 has 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. It 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.