The Supreme Court of India, led by a bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan, has taken a decisive stance on the critical issue of child disappearances, ordering a comprehensive probe to determine if a nationwide criminal network is driving these incidents. During a hearing on February 10, 2026, the court emphasized that the staggering number of missing children across various states suggests a coordinated pattern rather than a series of isolated, random events. The bench directed the Central Government to look beyond mere statistical data and actively investigate the existence of organized syndicates or state-specific groups that may be orchestrating these abductions for trafficking. To facilitate a more effective investigation, the Supreme Court suggested that law enforcement agencies should conduct detailed interviews with rescued children to gather actionable intelligence regarding the individuals or organizations responsible for their initial disappearance and subsequent exploitation.
The court’s intervention highlights a significant gap in the current administrative response, as it criticized several states for failing to provide comprehensive data on missing and untraced children. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, informed the bench that while some states had complied, nearly a dozen others had yet to furnish the requested information, which is essential for identifying interstate trafficking routes. In response, the Supreme Court warned of “harsh orders” against non-compliant states, reiterating that a unified, nationwide strategy is the only way to dismantle professional trafficking rings that exploit jurisdictional boundaries. The court also ordered the Union Home Ministry to appoint a dedicated nodal officer to coordinate with state authorities through the Mission Vatsalya portal, ensuring that data collection leads directly to the prosecution of traffickers.
This judicial push for a more “focused and professional” investigation is rooted in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the NGO Guria Swayam Sevi Sansthan, which brought to light the alarming number of untraced minors and the lack of coordination between state police forces. By demanding a shift from reactive policing to proactive, pattern-based intelligence gathering, the Supreme Court aims to establish a standard operating procedure (SOP) that prioritizes the recovery of children during the most critical early hours of their disappearance. The ultimate goal of this probe is to unmask the systematic machinery of child trafficking in India, ensuring that the fundamental rights of the country’s most vulnerable citizens are protected through a synchronized and accountable national response.
