The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice on a petition raising concerns over the rising number of missing persons in the national capital and sought responses from the Centre, the Delhi government, Delhi Police and the National Crime Records Bureau.
A Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela directed the authorities to file their replies within a week and listed the matter for further hearing on February 18.
The High Court observed that two different narratives on missing persons were being reported in the media. It said it would examine the factual position after receiving responses from the authorities.
The petitioner, a non-governmental organisation, contended that the ‘right to be found’ forms part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution.
The plea stated that the rising number of missing persons reflected a failure in policing and investigation, adding that such cases could no longer be treated as isolated incidents.
According to the petition, the situation was serious and warranted judicial scrutiny. It argued that a large number of disappearances within a short span could indicate organised crime, including human trafficking.
The plea further alleged that the absence of time-bound and technology-driven investigations allowed such crimes to proliferate.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel submitted that more than 800 people had gone missing in the first 15 days of this year alone. The petition alleged that mandatory protocols and Standard Operating Procedures for tracing missing persons were not being strictly followed.
It was argued that this failure had resulted in a significant number of individuals remaining untraced.
The Bench enquired whether a similar matter was pending before the Supreme Court. The counsel responded that, to his knowledge, no such petition was pending there.
The NGO has urged the court to ensure strict and uniform implementation of prescribed protocols in every missing person case. It has also sought directions to the Delhi government and the Police Commissioner, along with the constitution of a high-level coordination committee.