New Delhi, April 9 The Supreme Court has expressed serious concern over the rising cases of child trafficking, saying gangs are operating across the country, and if states and union territories do not take immediate action, the situation will become unmanageable.
The court stated that only the state government and its home department can take effective action in this regard.
"As a court, we can monitor, but ultimately the action has to come from the state government, the police, and other agencies. Therefore, this is our humble request," said a bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan during the hearing of a plea on Wednesday.
The bench was disappointed by the "lackadaisical" approach of several states and UTs in implementing a 2025 judgment aimed at dismantling organized trafficking networks.
Justice Viswanathan said that the recovery of children in some cases proves that the problem can be addressed, but it requires a level of political and administrative will, which is currently lacking.
The verdict, delivered on April 15, 2025, had mandated several institutional reforms, including the completion of trials in trafficking cases within six months on a day-to-day basis.
It had also directed the strengthening of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and improving investigation standards.
Besides asking for the setting up of state-level committees to monitor vulnerable trafficking hotspots, it had also asked the authorities to treat missing children cases as trafficking cases unless proven otherwise.
Earlier, the bench had termed the compliance reports filed by a few states as "nothing but eyewash."
On Wednesday, the bench noted that Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, and Punjab had still failed to file reports in the prescribed format.
When the home secretary of Madhya Pradesh offered an apology for the lapse, the bench granted a "final opportunity" but warned that continued failure would lead to states being officially branded as "defaulting".
The bench noted that at least 15 states are yet to constitute review committees mandated to identify and monitor trafficking-prone areas.
The matter will now be heard on April 29.