Supreme Court Orders Swift Action on Child Trafficking Cases Across India
Supreme Court's Directive on Child Trafficking Trials
New Delhi: On Monday, the Supreme Court mandated that all High Courts gather data on pending child trafficking cases from district courts and ensure their trials are concluded within six months.
A bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan revoked the bail of 13 individuals granted by the Allahabad High Court in a human trafficking matter, urging the state government to take prompt action against such crimes.
"We instruct all High Courts nationwide to obtain necessary information regarding the status of ongoing trials related to child trafficking. Once the data is collected, each High Court should issue a circular to the relevant trial courts to finalize these trials within six months, potentially on a day-to-day basis," the court stated.
The bench emphasized that each High Court must submit a compliance report to the Supreme Court following the circular's issuance.
Furthermore, the court directed all state governments to review the report from the Bharatiya Institute of Research and Development (BIRD) dated April 12, 2023, along with its recommendations.
In 2023, the National Human Rights Commission assigned BIRD to investigate human trafficking, highlighting significant flaws in the current mechanisms employed by states and law enforcement to combat human trafficking, particularly concerning children, and proposed corrective measures. The bench urged all state governments to thoroughly analyze the report and implement the recommendations effectively.
The Supreme Court warned against any failure to comply with its directives or any negligence by authorities.
The court's attention was drawn to a newspaper article that reported a child trafficking incident, prompting it to summon the Delhi Police officer overseeing the investigation to appear before it on April 21.
The bench sought to understand the police's action plan against trafficking gangs operating both within and outside Delhi.