SC sets April 18 deadline for states on rising child trafficking cases

The Supreme Court has intensified pressure on States and Union Territories to urgently address the rising menace of child trafficking , setting firm deadlines for compliance and highlighting alarming data showing the gravity of the issue. A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan expressed deep concern over organised trafficking networks operating nationwide, warning that without coordinated action from state home departments and police, the problem could spiral beyond control .

Reaffirming its grave concern , the court noted worrying figures from crime reports and official records: in 2023, approximately 91,000 children went missing in India, an average of about 250 per day and nearly 49,000 of them remained untraced , with girls accounting for around 75 % of missing children. States like West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar and Odisha reported the highest numbers of missing children. The recovery rate for missing children nationally was only about 65 % , meaning roughly one in three never found . At the same time, more than 2,800 child trafficking cases were still pending trial across the country, with Tamil Nadu reporting the highest backlog of 748 pending matters. These numbers underline deep challenges in enforcement, prosecution and victim protection.

The latest directions build on a landmark April 15, 2025 judgment that mandated broad institutional reforms to dismantle trafficking networks, including completion of trials within six months with day‑to‑day hearings, strengthening Anti‑Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) , improving investigation standards, and treating missing children cases as trafficking unless proven otherwise. The court also required each state to set up review committees to identify and monitor confirmed trafficking hotspots.

At the hearing, the court sharply criticised several states’ compliance affidavits as “nothing but an eye wash ,” noting that Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, and Punjab had failed to file reports in the prescribed format . The bench granted them a final opportunity to submit structured compliance reports and details of their review committees by April 18, 2026 , warning that continued non‑compliance would lead to being officially labelled “defaulting.” It also flagged that at least 15 states have yet to constitute the mandated review committees, a key measure for monitoring vulnerable areas.

Reflecting broader concerns over enforcement gaps, the Delhi High Court described the national capital as a “mandi for child trafficking,” citing violations of standard procedures and persistent trafficking near transit hubs. Notices were issued to the Delhi government, Indian Railways, police, and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to provide data and suggest corrective measures. The Supreme Court will review updated reports and progress on reforms in the next hearing on April 29, 2026 .