SC asks Center to clear its stand on tracing of missing children

The Supreme Court has asked the Center to clear its stand on the implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on the registration of FIRs on missing children and the steps that have been taken for tracing them.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice H.L. Dattu has given the Centre one week's time to inform it on SOPs.

The SOPs were prepared by the National Legal Service Authority (NALSA) in consultation with other stakeholders, including the Home Ministry, women and child welfare Ministry and NGOs.

The Bench was disappointed over the failure of Madhya Pradesh government in taking action in tracing such kids and therefore, summoned the state's chief secretary to be personally present on the next date of hearing.

However, the bench was impressed by Bihar government's performance in tracing 169 missing children within a week after its order; therefore it ordered them to complete the task of finding out remaining 464 children within three weeks.

The Supreme Court has also granted four weeks time to the Chhattisgarh Government to find out all such children in the state.

The decision came after hearing of a PIL by NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan, which had moved the court to seek its intervention for tracing a large number of missing children all over the country.