New Delhi: More than 2,800 cases of child trafficking are pending trial in courts across the country, with Tamil Nadu alone accounting for the highest 748 cases, followed by Jharkhand (386), Delhi (269), and Rajasthan (256), reveals a recent Supreme Court order, citing data submitted by all high courts.
In April last year, the apex court had asked all high courts to submit reports on pending child trafficking cases in lower courts under their jurisdiction. It had also asked the high courts to issue a circular directing district courts to complete trial in those pending cases within six months.
According to information produced by all high courts, barring the Patna high court, which is yet to submit its report, the total child trafficking cases pending trials across the country stood at 2,846, with Tamil Nadu reporting over a quarter of such cases.
“Trafficking of children and infants is on a rampage,” a bench of justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan, observed in an order on February 26. “We will not spare anybody who fails to take action. Any lethargy on part of states and UTs will be taken very seriously.”
The remarks came after senior advocate Aparna Bhatt, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae, cited fresh incidents of child trafficking to suggest how members of inter-state gangs are involved in such crimes.
In its April last year’s order, the Supreme Court had directed that child trafficking trials to be concluded within six months from the date the concerned high court would issue a circular. In compliance with the order, all high courts issued the necessary circular between June and September 2025.
Interestingly, the Calcutta high court submitted two reports to the top court. Its initial report filed in September 2025 showed a total of 1,317 child trafficking trials (1,313 in West Bengal and four in Andaman & Nicobar) as on June 15, 2025. Of these, 1,156 cases were reported in Murshidabad district, which borders Bangladesh.
Its second report filed in December 2025 pegged the total pendency of child trafficking trials at 227 (223 in West Bengal and four in Andaman & Nicobar) as on August 30, 2025. In the second report, the case pendency in Murshidabad came down to 16.
Other states with high pending cases of child trafficking include, Assam (191), Kerala (118), Uttar Pradesh (112), Maharashtra (107), and Karnataka (67). In the northeast, Meghalaya reported 15 pending cases, Arunachal Pradesh (nine), Manipur and Tripura (three each), while Mizoram and Nagaland reported zero cases.
Amicus curiae Bhatt submitted that once figures from the Patna high court are made available, necessary directions may be issued to all high courts to ensure speedy trial in such cases. The matter is posted for further hearing on April 8.
The top court’s April last year order had come in a case reported from Uttar Pradesh, where a one-year-old boy went missing near the Cantt area in Varanasi. Investigation led the police to a multi-state child trafficking racket whose members confessed to selling the child.
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