NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court is set to hear on Monday a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the Union of India (UOI) and all States/Union Territories to establish a National DNA and Biometric Identification System (BIS) for missing and rescued children.
The petition, filed by advocate Reepak Kansal, calls for the creation of such a system with appropriate statutory safeguards to enable scientific matching and restoration of identity.
According to the cause list, a bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant is scheduled to hear the plea.
In the PIL, Kansal has sought directions for mandatory DNA sampling, subject to due safeguards and consent protocols, of all unidentified rescued children and willing biological parents or guardians of missing children, strictly for the purpose of reunification and identity confirmation.
The plea further seeks the direct integration and interoperability of all existing child protection databases, including police records, shelter homes, Child Welfare Committees, and Anti-Human Trafficking Units, under a centralized, real-time national framework.
Kansal has also requested the constitution of National- and State-level child protection and anti-trafficking task forces to ensure mandatory interstate coordination, as well as time-bound investigation, rescue, and rehabilitation of missing and trafficked children.
Additionally, the petitioner has sought directions to the respondents, UOI, States, and UTs, to frame and notify Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for tracing, DNA testing, reunification, rehabilitation, compensation, and long-term monitoring of rescued children.
The plea further urges that, prior to the completion of any adoption process, the DNA of the child proposed for adoption be mandatorily verified against national data and records under a regulated and privacy-compliant framework. This, it argues, would ensure the authenticity of the child’s identity and help prevent illegal adoption, trafficking, and misrepresentation.
Finally, the petitioner has requested that all respondents be directed to file periodic compliance affidavits before the Court.