Jharkhand HC asks Centre, State to consider SOP on use of Aadhaar data to trace missing children
RANCHI: The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday asked the Central and the State governments to examine the possibility of formulating a clear Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the use of Aadhaar data in tracing missing children. The court gave the directive while hearing a habeas corpus plea over the disappearance of a minor girl from Jharkhand’s Gumla district in 2018.
The petition was moved by the girl’s mother, Chandramuni Urain, who sought judicial intervention for her daughter’s recovery. Urain had moved the high court in September last year, alleging that her daughter could have fallen victim to human trafficking.
The petitioner informed the court that although an FIR was lodged in 2019 after the child went missing, the local police allegedly failed to make meaningful progress in the investigation. Frustrated with the slow pace of action, she approached the high court seeking urgent directions to secure her daughter’s whereabouts.
While hearing the petition on Thursday, the division bench of Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice AK Rai also sought a detailed status report from the state government and police authorities on the progress of the investigation. The state, however, informed the court that an FIR had been registered on the basis of the mother's complaint and that the probe is still on.
Gumla DSP and the officer in charge of the Anti-Human Trafficking Police Station appeared before the Bench, complying with the earlier directive and apprised the court of the action taken so far. The court was also informed that, given the seriousness of the matter, a new Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted. The SIT also visited Delhi to collect leads on possible locations.
"The missing girl’s photograph has been widely circulated and uploaded across various platforms to support identification. However, no concrete breakthrough has been achieved so far, and efforts to trace her are continuing," the state government informed the court.
Highlighting 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 also 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.
During the hearing on earlier dates, the bench had 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.