By The Sampadak Express is
The Supreme Court on Monday came down hard on child trafficking, stressing that if a newborn goes missing from a hospital, the facility’s licence should be immediately suspended.
A bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan expressed strong disapproval over the handling of a child trafficking case in Uttar Pradesh. The case involved a man accused of paying Rs 4 lakh for a stolen baby boy. “If you desire a son, you cannot get a trafficked child,” the bench said, stating the accused knew the infant was stolen.
Criticizing the Allahabad High Court for granting bail without proper conditions, the SC noted that several accused in the case are now untraceable. “The least the High Court could’ve done was to ensure weekly police station attendance,” it said.
The court ordered all accused to surrender and directed the trial court to frame charges within a week. It also instructed High Courts across India to report on pending child trafficking trials, warning that failure to implement its directives will be treated as contempt.
Justice Pardiwala added that the judgment includes detailed guidelines for combating child trafficking and urged state governments to act swiftly.
India records nearly 2,000 child trafficking cases annually, with the highest numbers reported from Telangana, Maharashtra, and Bihar, according to NCRB data from 2022.
