New Delhi: In a major decision, the Supreme Court has ordered the immediate cancellation of licences of hospitals from where newborns are stolen. The Court also came down hard on the Allahabad High Court for granting bail to a man accused of child trafficking.
“If any newborn is trafficked from a hospital, the first step should be to suspend the license of such hospitals. If any lady comes to deliver a child to the hospital and the baby is stolen, the first step is suspension of license,” the Supreme Court ordered.
The bench of Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan was hearing anticipatory bail pleas filed by the accused in a child trafficking case from Uttar Pradesh.
“The High Court dealt with bail applications callously and it led to many accused to abscond. These accused pose a serious threat to society. Least which was required from the High Court while granting bail was to impose a condition to mark his presence in the police station every week. The police lost track of all accused persons,” the Court observed.
The case involved the sale of a stolen baby for Rs 4 lakh to a couple. “It appears the accused was longing for a son and then got a son for Rs 4 lakh. If you desire a son…you cannot go for a trafficked child. He knew that the baby was stolen,” the court noted.
The bench also directed High Courts across the country to issue directions to lower courts to complete trials in child trafficking cases in six months.
“State governments shall take a look at the detailed recommendations by us and study the report which was submitted by Bhartiya Institute and implement the same at the earliest. High Courts across the country are directed to call for status of pending trials in child trafficking cases. Then directions shall be issued to complete trials in 6 months and also conduct day to day trials,” the court ordered.
Any laxity showing to implement the directions would be taken seriously and be treated as contempt of court, the SC added. The matter will be heard again on April 21.
