Serious issue: Supreme Court on cases of missing children
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday voiced concern over a news report that claimed that every eight minutes, a child goes missing in the country, and described it as a serious issue.
A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan said the adoption process in the country is complicated and asked the Centre to streamline the mechanism.
"I have read in a newspaper that every eight minutes, a child goes missing in the country. I don't know if this is true or not. But this is a serious issue," Justice Nagarathna observed orally.
The top court remarked that as the adoption process is rigorous, it is bound to be flouted and people go for illegal means to have children.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, sought six weeks time for appointing a nodal officer to handle cases of missing children.
The apex court, however, refused to grant six weeks and asked the ASG to complete the process by December 9.
On October 14, the bench had directed the Union government to instruct all States and Union territories to depute a nodal officer to handle cases of missing children and to provide their names and contact details for publication on the Mission Vatsalya portal operated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
It had directed that whenever a complaint regarding a missing child is received on the portal, the information should be simultaneously shared with the respective nodal officers.
The top court had earlier asked the Centre to create a dedicated online portal under the aegis of the home ministry to trace missing children and investigate such cases.
It had underlined the lack of coordination among police authorities entrusted with the job of tracing missing children in States and Union territories in the country.
The court had said the portal could have a dedicated officer from each state who could be the in-charge of missing complaints besides disseminate information.
NGO Guria Swayam Sevi Sansthan had moved the top court and highlighted unresolved cases of kidnapping or missing children besides the actions required to be taken on the basis of information available with the Khoya/Paya portal monitored by the government of India.
The petition illustrated its argument with five cases registered in Uttar Pradesh last year in which minor boys and girls were kidnapped and trafficked through a network of middlemen to states like Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
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VHP warns of statewide stir in Karnataka against move to ease cattle transport law
Udupi (Karnataka) (PTI): The VHP on Saturday demanded the immediate withdrawal of a proposed amendment to the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020, accusing the state government of weakening a law that has deterred illegal cattle transport.
The organisation's Go Raksha Wing, Karnataka South, has also announced district-level protests on December 8.
According to officials, the existing law mandates a bank guarantee for securing the release of vehicles seized for alleged illegal cattle transportation.
On December 4, the state Cabinet proposed an amendment enabling the release of such vehicles on an indemnity bond instead.
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Addressing reporters in Udupi, VHP leader and Prantha Goraksha Pramukh Sunil K R, said the government's move amounted to "sympathy for cattle lifters" and claimed that it was part of broader actions "targeting Hindus".
He argued that the law in its current form is stringent and has played a crucial role in reducing incidents of illegal cattle transport and theft.
Under the Act, vehicles involved in offences can be surrendered and, upon conviction, permanently seized by authorities. "Diluting these provisions will embolden offenders," Sunil said.
The VHP leader warned that easing the process of vehicle release would not only encourage violators but also result in rising cruelty against cattle.
Sunil further claimed that the strict enforcement of the 2020 law had brought down cases of cattle-related offences significantly. Rolling back these provisions, he said, could reverse those gains and would lead to an increase in illegal transport.
He reiterated that the government must reconsider its decision and preserve the integrity of the existing law.
