Delhi High Court issued notice to Delhi Police over alleged mishandling of minor girls rescued from sex trafficking. The plea claims police lapses, including no FIR and poor rehabilitation, led to the girls being re-trafficked again.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court issued a notice to the Delhi Police regarding a plea that accused the police of inadequately managing the custody of girls rescued from commercial sexual exploitation rings.
Justice Ravinder Dudeja ordered the police to clarify whether their shortcomings contributed to the re-trafficking of these girls.
The case is scheduled for a hearing on July 17.
The plea was filed by the non-profit organizations Just Rights For Children Alliance and Association For Voluntary Action, which assisted the Delhi Police in conducting raids to dismantle sex trafficking operations in Burari and Wazirabad.
During the first raid in Burari, eight girls were rescued, three of whom were minors. The petition claims that the police failed to present the rescued minors before the Child Welfare Committee, as mandated by the Juvenile Justice Act of 2015 and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act of 1956, and instead returned them to their so-called parents without conducting medical examinations.
Additionally, no FIR was filed against those running the sex trafficking ring.
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In the subsequent raid at Wazirabad, seven girls were rescued, including five minors. Notably, one of the minors rescued in Wazirabad was previously found during the Burari raid. The plea argues that police inaction and negligence allowed traffickers to shift operations from Burari to Wazirabad.
The petition stated,
“This was made possible on account of two reasons firstly, the failure of the Police to register an FIR against the accused and letting her off scot-free; secondly, the failure of the Respondent authorities to rescue the child in true letter and spirit and rehabilitate her as per law rather than sending her right back into the clutches of her traffickers,”
As a result, the petition seeks an inquiry into these lapses and requests the establishment of a Standard Operating Procedure in accordance with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), outlining the necessary steps for police and other authorities during rescues of children or individuals in similar situations.
Advocates Prabhasahay Kaur, Taruna Panwar, Shubhra Agarwal, Rachna Tyagi, Bhuwan Ribhu, Shashi, and Harshita represented the NGOs, while Additional Standing Counsel Sanjeev Bhandari and advocates Arjit Sharma, Nikunj Bindal, and Nishtha Dhall appeared on behalf of the State.
Case Title: Just Rights For Children Alliance & Anr vs State of NCT of Delhi & Ors.
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