Ranchi, Feb 12 (IANS) The Jharkhand High Court, while hearing a habeas corpus petition concerning a minor girl missing from Gumla district since 2018, has directed the state and Central governments to consider framing a clear Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on the use of Aadhaar data for identifying and tracing missing children.

The petition was filed by the girl’s mother, seeking directions for her daughter’s recovery.

During Thursday’s hearing, a division bench of Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice A.K. Rai sought a detailed status report from the state government and police authorities on the progress of the investigation.

The state informed the court that an FIR had been registered on the basis of the mother’s complaint and that the probe is ongoing.

The DSP of Gumla and the officer in charge of the Anti-Human Trafficking Police Station appeared before the Bench, complying with the earlier directive, and apprised it of the steps taken so far.

The court was told that, given the gravity of the case, a new Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted. The SIT has visited Delhi to gather leads on possible locations. The missing girl’s photograph has been widely circulated and uploaded across various platforms to aid identification. However, no concrete breakthrough has been achieved so far, and efforts to trace her are continuing.

Emphasising the need for effective technological intervention, the Bench observed that investigating agencies should be equipped with clear guidelines for the lawful use of Aadhaar-linked data in missing child cases, while ensuring privacy safeguards are maintained.

The court noted that cases involving missing children cannot be treated casually and underscored the need for a robust and well-defined policy framework to aid investigations.

In earlier hearings, the bench had also expressed serious concern over issues related to child trafficking and the functioning of law enforcement agencies in the state.

In the latest order, the High Court directed the authorities to submit a comprehensive and satisfactory report detailing further progress in the investigation.

–IANS

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