Bombay High Court Emphasizes Government's Responsibility in Tracing Missing Women and Children

The Bombay High Court stated it is the government's duty to locate missing children and women. Hearing a PIL, the court directed the Maharashtra government to file an affidavit detailing measures taken. The court also sought input from the GRP and MSCW to address human trafficking issues.

The Bombay High Court on Thursday emphasized that it is the government's responsibility to locate missing children and women. In a public interest litigation (PIL) hearing, Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar directed the Maharashtra government to submit an affidavit outlining the measures it has implemented to address these cases.

The court also requested a response from the Government Railway Police (GRP) regarding their strategies to combat human trafficking. Additionally, the Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW) was asked to provide suggestions aimed at curbing this issue.

The PIL, filed by Sangli resident Shahaji Jagtap, called for the state police to trace over one lakh women who went missing in Maharashtra between 2019 and 2021. Jagtap's advocate, Manjiri Parasnis, mentioned that Jagtap's own daughter had gone missing, leading him to uncover alarming statistics provided by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs that highlighted the high number of missing children and women in the state.