Delhi a ‘mandi’ for child trafficking: High court

NEW DELHI: The national capital has become a “mandi” for child trafficking, Delhi High Court lamented on Wednesday and sought the stand of Indian Railways and Delhi Police on a PIL highlighting an increase in such incidents at railway stations and surrounding areas.

A bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued notice to the railways, Delhi govt, Delhi Police and National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on the PIL by Just Rights for Children Alliance.

HC observed that the menace of child trafficking remained “unabated” even after judicial orders and asked the NCPCR to provide the data to enable it to pass appropriate directions.

Posting the case for hearing on July 10, it also asked NCPCR to give its suggestions.

“Delhi has become a mandi now for child trafficking, and for ascertaining this fact, you need not go through the petition. Just roam around the railway stations for two hours,” the bench remarked during the hearing.

It noted that although measures were adopted by the authorities, including the railways, to curb trafficking, the situation remained unchanged due to a lack of effective implementation.

Advocate Prabhsahay Kaur, appearing for the petitioner, said over 84,000 children were rescued by Railway Protection Force between 2018 and 2024 on railway premises.

She also said there was an incident where a girl, after being rescued from Anand Vihar Railway Station, was handed back to traffickers instead of being produced before the child welfare committee and was later rescued in a raid.

The petition said that in view of the alarming surge in incidents of child trafficking occurring within railway premises, ministry of railways and NHRC notified standard operating procedures for the identification, rescue and rehabilitation of victimised children.

The authorities were, however, acting in gross violation of such SOPs, leading to miscarriage of justice, the plea further alleged.

In the PIL, the petitioner sought strict compliance with the SOP and urged the HC to issue directions for ensuring that rescued children are not re-trafficked but rehabilitated properly.