Supreme Court Today (April 21) takes urgent action to rescue six missing children linked to a trafficking racket. The court called traffickers a serious threat and ordered strict accountability.
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India today took strong action to stop child trafficking after a shocking news report showed that newborn babies are being sold for lakhs of rupees.
The court took up this case on its own (suo motu) and gave strict directions to the Delhi Police to rescue six missing children, no matter what it takes.
The bench of Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan clearly told the Delhi Police,
“Kahin se bhi dhoond ke lao in 6 bacchon ko (Find these six missing kids).”
The court also said,
“Those selling and buying newborn kids must be made accountable. All of them are accused,”
and strongly warned that these people are a
“big threat to society.”
Justice Pardiwala showed deep concern over such gangs in Delhi that are buying and selling newborn babies.
He said,
“Most dangerous, this is most dangerous.”
According to the Supreme Court, Delhi Police must catch the main leader of the child trafficking group that is working in the national capital. The court mentioned that recent news reports suggest a large network is working in Delhi and nearby areas, where newborns are being sold for amounts between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
The court also said that many people involved in this are repeat offenders and have done this type of crime before.
In an earlier hearing, the Supreme Court also criticized the Allahabad High Court for giving bail to 13 people who were accused in child trafficking cases. The top court said the bail matters were handled “callously” and now many of the accused are missing.
Because of this, the Supreme Court has cancelled those bail orders. The court added that these accused people are a serious threat to the safety of society.
Justice Pardiwala strongly compared child traffickers to murderers, saying that traffickers are even worse.
He explained,
“If someone kills a person, there is a reason or motive behind it, he may not commit another murder after one murder. But those who kidnap and sell children commit this crime again and again. They are more dangerous.”
Delhi Police told the court that in some cases, the children were not kidnapped but sold by their own parents. Hearing this, the Supreme Court said that if these children are found and their parents do not want to take them back, the responsibility to take care of them will lie with the state government.
In the previous hearing, the Supreme Court had also said that if a newborn goes missing from any hospital, the first step should be to cancel that hospital’s license. This step will make hospitals more responsible for the safety of newborns.
The court gave strong suggestions to stop child trafficking and told all state governments to act quickly. The bench said,
“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 treated as contempt.”
Justice Pardiwala also spoke about the emotional pain of parents whose children are taken by traffickers. 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.”
As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), around 2,000 cases of child trafficking are reported every year in India. In 2022 alone, there were 2,250 reported cases. The highest numbers came from Telangana, Maharashtra, and Bihar.
The Supreme Court has taken a very serious step to protect children from dangerous trafficking gangs. It is now up to the police and state authorities to act fast and save these children from further harm.
PREVIOUSLY IN APEX COURT
The Supreme Court of India on April 15 gave a strong and emotional message today about the rising problem of child trafficking in the country. The court said that if a newborn baby goes missing from a hospital, then the first action should be to cancel the hospital’s license.
This statement came while the court was discussing a serious child trafficking case.
The case was being heard by a bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan. They were looking into a petition that challenged the bail given to some people who were accused in a child trafficking matter.
The Supreme Court was not happy with how the Allahabad High Court had handled the case. The judges said that the High Court showed carelessness while giving bail to the accused, and now many of those people are missing.
The court stated,
“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.”
Justice Pardiwala also criticized the Uttar Pradesh government for not treating the matter with proper seriousness.
He said the state did not even file an appeal and behaved as if the issue was not important. Justice Pardiwala said,
“…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.”
The Supreme Court has now ordered all the accused people to surrender themselves. The court made it clear that they must be sent directly to judicial custody.
The court firmly said,
“Charges shall be framed within one week. If it’s informed that some accused have absconded, the trial court to issue non-bailable warrants. Trial of those present shall go on and not be delayed.”
Justice Pardiwala also mentioned that the court has added detailed suggestions in the judgment to help stop child trafficking in India. He directed all state governments to follow these suggestions as soon as possible.
The court 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 gave a heartfelt message to parents, asking them to always be careful and alert when it comes to their children.
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.”
Then, the court repeated strongly that if any newborn goes missing from a hospital, then the hospital must face strict action.
Justice Pardiwala said,
“If any newborn is trafficked from a hospital..the first step should be to suspend the license 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 government records, India reports around 2,000 cases of child trafficking every year. As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, there were 2,250 child trafficking cases reported in the year 2022. Most of these cases were seen in Telangana, Maharashtra, and Bihar.
Detailed Previous Hearing: Supreme Court Criticized UP Govt
The Supreme Court of India strongly criticized the Uttar Pradesh government for the way it handled a very serious issue of child trafficking.
The case was heard by a bench including Hon’ble Mr. Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Hon’ble Mr. Justice R. Mahadevan.
The Supreme Court of India has given strict directions to all States and High Courts to stop child trafficking and ensure fast trials in such serious cases.
Top Court said that special steps must be taken across the country to fight child trafficking effectively.
The Court gave this order while hearing anticipatory bail requests from people accused in a child trafficking case in Uttar Pradesh.
The judges were not happy with how the case was handled by the authorities and made it clear that both the Uttar Pradesh government and the Allahabad High Court failed in their responsibilities.
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Justice JB Pardiwala said,
“This case was mainly about cancelling anticipatory bail, but we also looked into the issue of child trafficking. In 2023, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had asked the Bhartiya Institute of Development to study child trafficking, and a detailed report with recommendations was submitted. We included those recommendations in our judgment. Just when we were about to finish writing the judgment, a report in Times of India said that babies were being stolen at birth and sold for large amounts of money. We have included that full news article in our judgment.”
He further added that the High Court did not handle the bail applications properly, which caused big problems.
Justice JB Pardiwala stated,
“The High Court handled the bail applications carelessly, which allowed many accused persons to run away. These individuals are now a serious danger to society. At the very least, the High Court should have put a condition in the bail order requiring the accused to visit the police station every week. Because this condition was not set, the police have lost track of all the accused.”
The Supreme Court clearly expressed its disappointment with the state government’s actions. Justice JB Pardiwala said,
“We are very disappointed with how the State of Uttar Pradesh handled this case. There was no appeal filed, and the authorities did not act seriously at all.”
While talking about the main accused and the child trafficking racket, Justice JB Pardiwala explained,
“It seems the accused wanted to have a son, and after getting one, he also received Rs 4 lakhs. But if someone wants a child, they cannot take a trafficked baby. The accused clearly knew the baby was stolen. Manish Jain is the main person behind this trafficking racket. He, along with two others, was involved in trafficking minor children. We have also discussed the roles of Jagdish Baranwal and Anuradha Devi in this case.”
The court ordered strict action and made it clear that the accused must be brought to justice.
Justice JB Pardiwala declared,
“The appeals are allowed. All the accused must surrender, and they will be sent to jail. We instruct the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Varanasi and the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) of Varanasi to transfer the cases to the sessions court within two weeks. The charges should be set within one week. If any accused are found to have escaped, the trial court should issue arrest warrants. The trial will continue for those present without any delay.”
He also gave directions on how the legal process must go forward quickly and efficiently. Justice JB Pardiwala said,
“After the charge is framed, the court should start recording evidence, preferably within a week. The state will appoint three special public prosecutors, and the witnesses will be given police protection. We order that trafficked children should be admitted to school under the Right to Education (RTE) Act and continue their education. The trial court will also decide on compensation according to the BNSS and UP state laws.”
He further directed that not just Uttar Pradesh, but all state governments in India must take strong steps based on this case.
Justice JB Pardiwala said,
“All state governments must review our detailed recommendations and study the report submitted by the Bhartiya Institute, and implement it as soon as possible. High Courts across the country are instructed to check the status of pending trials in child trafficking cases. Directions will be given to complete these trials within 6 months and conduct them on a day-to-day basis. Any failure to follow these instructions will be taken seriously and treated as contempt of court.”
He also made it clear that the final decision about guilt or innocence will only come from the evidence, and not based on the court’s comments.
Justice JB Pardiwala noted,
“The accused’s guilt or innocence will be determined solely by the evidence presented in the trial, and not by any remarks made by this court.”
While referring again to the news article that came out in April, Justice JB Pardiwala added,
“We have also noticed the report from the Times of India on April 21 and have instructed the police officer handling the case to give an update on the situation and the actions being taken to deal with gangs operating inside and outside Delhi. As parents, you must stay alert about your child’s safety. The pain and suffering a parent experiences when a child dies is different from when a child is taken by trafficking gangs. When a child dies, they are with God, but when they are lost, they are at the mercy of these gangs.”
He gave a strong message to hospitals too. If a newborn baby is stolen from a hospital, action must be taken immediately.
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“State governments shall take a look at the detailed recommendations by us and study the report which was submitted by Bhartiya Institute and implement the same at the earliest. High Courts across the country are directed to call for status of pending trial in child trafficking cases. Then directions shall be issued to complete trial in 6 months and also conduct day to day trial,”
-the Court ordered.
The Court warned that if these rules are not followed properly, it would be treated as a serious matter.
“Any laxity showing to implement the directions would be taken seriously and be treated as contempt of court,”
-the Bench added.
The Court also gave a very strong message regarding hospitals where newborns are stolen.
“If any new born is trafficked from a hospital, the first step should be suspend the license 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 license,”
-the Court ordered.
While speaking about the way the Allahabad High Court granted bail, the Bench said it was done in a very careless way.
“The High Court dealt with bail applications callously and it led to many accused to abscond. These accused pose serious threat to society. Least which was required from High Court while granting bail was to impose a condition to mark presence in police station every week. The police lost track of all accused persons,”
-the Court opined.
CASE TITLE:
PINKI v. STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH AND ANR
CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. 1927 OF 2025
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