The Supreme Court has voiced grave concern over
rising cases of child trafficking, saying gangs are operating across the
country and if States and Union territories do not take immediate action, thing
will go beyond control.
The court said only the state government and its
home department can act vigilantly in this regard.
"As a court we can monitor, but ultimately the
action has to be on the part of the state government, the police, and other
agencies. Therefore, this is our humble request", a bench comprising
Justices JB Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan said during the hearing of a plea on
Wednesday.
The bench was irked over the
"lackadaisical" approach of several states and UTs in implementing a
2025 judgment aimed at dismantling organised trafficking networks.
Justice Viswanathan said the retrieval of children
in some cases proves the problem can be tackled, but it requires a level of
political and administrative will which is lacking at present.
The verdict, delivered on April 15, 2025, had
mandated several institutional reforms, including completion of trials in
trafficking cases within six months on a day-to-day basis.
It had also directed strengthening of Anti-Human
Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and improving investigation standards.
Besides asking for setting up of state-level
committees to monitor vulnerable trafficking hotspots, it had asked the
authorities to treat missing children cases as trafficking unless proven
otherwise.
Earlier, the bench had termed the compliance reports
filed by a few states as "nothing but an eye wash." On
Wednesday, the bench noted that Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Lakshadweep,
Mizoram, Odisha, and Punjab had still failed to file reports in the prescribed
format.
When the home secretary of Madhya Pradesh offered an
apology for the lapse, the bench granted a "final opportunity" but
warned that continued failure would lead to states being officially branded as
"defaulting".
The bench noted that at least 15 states are yet to
constitute review committees mandated to identify and monitor trafficking-prone
areas.
The matter will now be heard on April 29.