The Supreme Court of India has taken a very serious stand against child trafficking and missing newborn cases. The court said that if a newborn goes missing from any hospital, the hospital's licence should be suspended immediately. The court said this while hearing a case related to child trafficking.

The bench, including Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan, was hearing a petition that challenged the bail given to people accused in a child trafficking case. The court strongly criticised the Allahabad High Court for carelessly giving bail to the accused. Justice Pardiwala said, “These accused pose a serious threat to society. The least required of the high court while granting bail was to impose a condition to mark attendance at a police station every week. This police lost track of all the accused persons."

He said that many of the accused are now missing, and the Uttar Pradesh police and government have not shown seriousness in handling the case. He added, “...no appeal was made... no seriousness was shown... It appears the accused was longing for a son and then got a son for 4 lakh rupees. If you desire a son, you cannot go for a trafficked child. He knew the baby was stolen.”

Strict orders to speed up trials and protect children

The Supreme Court ordered that all the accused must surrender to the police and be sent to judicial custody. It said, “Charges shall be framed within one week. If it's informed that some accused have absconded, the trial court is to issue non-bailable warrants. Trial of those present shall go on and not be delayed.”

The court has also given important guidelines to fight child trafficking. Justice Pardiwala said that the judgement includes several detailed recommendations for both the central and state governments. He asked all state governments to implement these suggestions quickly. He added, “High Courts across the country are directed to call for the status of pending trials in child trafficking cases... Any laxity shown in implementing the directions would be taken seriously and be treated as contempt.”

Justice Pardiwala also shared how painful it is for parents to lose their child. He said, “The pain and agony a parent faces when a child dies is different from when a child is lost to gangs of trafficking... when the child dies, the child is with the Almighty, but when lost, they are at the mercy of such gangs.”

He further added, “If any newborn is trafficked from a hospital…the first step should be to suspend the licence of such hospitals. If any lady comes to deliver a child to the hospital and the baby is stolen, the first step is suspension of the licence.”

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), India reported around 2,250 child trafficking cases in 2022. Most of these cases were from Telangana, Maharashtra, and Bihar. The Supreme Court's strong words show that it wants strict action and quick justice in such sensitive cases.

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