7 months ago
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The Supreme Court connected Tuesday (October 14, 2025) directed the Union authorities to instruct each States and national territories to depute a nodal serviceman to grip cases of missing children and to supply their names and interaction details for work connected the Mission Vatsalya portal operated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
The tribunal was proceeding a nationalist involvement litigation petition filed by the non-profit organisation, Guria Swayam Sevi Sansthan, which highlighted the rising fig of missing children crossed respective States who stay untraced.
A Bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan observed, “We nonstop the Union of India to pass to each State and national territory to depute a nodal serviceman liable for cases of missing children and to marque disposable their sanction and telephone fig truthful that these details whitethorn beryllium uploaded connected the Mission Vatsalya portal.”
The Bench further directed that whenever a ailment regarding a missing kid is received connected the portal, the accusation should beryllium simultaneously shared with the respective nodal officers. They indispensable past instrumentality punctual enactment to hint the child, place and analyse the perpetrators, and registry further complaints wherever necessary.
In an earlier hearing, the apex tribunal had directed the Centre to make an online level to hint missing children, allowing constabulary agencies crossed States and national territories to stock accusation and coordinate investigations.
Appearing for the Centre, Additional Solicitor-General Aishwarya Bhati informed the Bench that specified a strategy was already successful spot done the Mission Vatsalya portal. She added that 2 earlier platforms, TrackChild and Khoya-Paya, had been integrated into it, and that 14 stakeholders were presently participating successful the initiative.
Ms. Bhati submitted that immoderate national who comes crossed a missing child, oregon immoderate genitor oregon guardian seeking to study a missing child, tin straight entree the portal to record a complaint.
‘Cooperation needed’
However, Justice Nagarathna remarked that determination was “hardly immoderate dissemination of information” among the stakeholders acrophobic contempt the beingness of a dedicated portal. “There has to beryllium practice betwixt the State and the Centre successful this… this is however you marque it workable,” she said.
Senior advocator Aparna Bhat, assisting the tribunal as amicus curiae, drew attraction to a caller surge successful cases of kid abduction and trafficking, observing that authorities had failed to instrumentality timely and effectual action.
The Bench directed that the deputed nodal officers indispensable found a coordinated web crossed districts, States, and national territories to guarantee businesslike dissemination and postulation of information. It besides instructed each stakeholders to clasp an online consultation earlier the adjacent proceeding to formulate applicable and effectual recommendations.
The tribunal granted 4 weeks to the Centre to cod details of nodal officers from each States and national territories and to upload the accusation connected the Mission Vatsalya portal.
