The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court strongly criticised the Uttar Pradesh authorities for showing a “casual and cavalier attitude” in handling missing person cases, stressing that such neglect endangers individuals and reflects lapses in police responsibility.
The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court strongly slammed the Uttar Pradesh state authorities for their “casual and cavalier attitude” toward missing person cases.
This criticism came during the hearing of a petition filed by a father whose son has been missing since July 2024.
The Court noted that the police took action only after the Court intervened, nearly a year and a half after the initial complaint was lodged.
The Division Bench, comprised of Justice Abdul Moin and Justice Mrs. Babita Rani, directed the Principal Secretary (Home) to submit a personal affidavit explaining the protocols established for handling missing person complaints as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) website.
The petitioner, Vikrama Prasad, filed his case under Criminal Misc. Writ Petition No. 11291 of 2025, alleging inaction from the police about his missing son.
The judgment revealed that the petitioner’s son, an adult around 32 years old, went missing in July 2024 from the state capital. Following this, the petitioner filed a missing person report on July 17, 2024.
The Court highlighted that after this report was filed, the matter attained a quietus, and no notable actions were taken by the authorities to address the petitioner’s concerns. Frustrated by the lack of investigation, the petitioner submitted the current writ petition on November 27, 2025.
Acknowledging the gravity of a missing person case from the state capital, the Court had earlier ordered on December 1, 2025, for a personal affidavit from the Commissioner of Police, Lucknow, detailing the investigation’s progress.
During the hearing on December 17, 2025, the learned Additional Government Advocate (AGA), citing the affidavit from the Commissioner, informed the Court that an FIR was finally filed on December 2, 2025, under FIR No. 0690 of 2025 according to Section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (B.N.S.), 2023.
Subsequently, efforts to trace the missing person had commenced, with directions issued to obtain photographs, display them publicly, publish notices in newspapers, and air information through Doordarshan and radio.
When queried by the Court regarding the general handling of missing person complaints, the learned AGA stated that,
“The complaints are uploaded on the website, and thereafter, they continue to remain on the website till such time, some impetus is given either by an order of the Court of law or otherwise.”
The Bench expressed significant dissatisfaction with the authorities’ actions, labeling the writ petition a “classic example of the casual and cavalier attitude of the authorities.”
The Court pointed out that the official machinery only got into motion to lodge the FIR and commence search operations following the Court’s intervention on December 1, 2025.
This took place approximately one and a half years after the missing complaint was lodged. Commenting on the procedure described by the AGA regarding the uploading of complaints, the Court remarked,
“This action indicates the lackadaisical attitude on the part of the State authorities in tracing out missing persons… It is only by means of the instant petition that the aforesaid situation has come to the notice of this Court i.e. a missing complaint being simply uploaded on the website of the authorities, and thereafter, no action being taken till such time, some action is required to be done by an order of a Court of law.”
The Bench further asserted that,
“ Such behavior is not expected from a welfare State whereby the citizen has to approach the highest Court of the State in order to set in motion an action which is required to be done by the authorities themselves.”
The High Court has mandated the Principal Secretary (Home) to file a personal affidavit within three weeks, addressing several specific queries regarding the management of missing person cases.
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The affidavit must include:
- The actions taken in response to the petitioner’s complaint filed in July 2024.
- The total number of missing complaint reports uploaded to the NCRB website since January 1, 2024, alongside the number of cases resolved or individuals traced.
- The procedure followed by authorities once a complaint is uploaded to the NCRB website.
- Whether any status updates are communicated to the complainant and the frequency of such updates.
The Court cautioned that failure to file the personal affidavit would necessitate the personal appearance of the Principal Secretary (Home) with relevant records to assist the Court.
The next hearing is scheduled for January 29, 2026.
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