The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday directed the State Government to submit status report on the investigations conducted to trace 141 children who went missing from various Government-run Child Care Institutions (CCIs) in various districts.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice Suraj Govindaraj issued the direction on a PIL petition filed by K.C. Rajanna, an agriculturist from Kolar.
It has been pointed out in the petition that the information provided under the Right to Information Act by the Department of Women and Child Development has revealed that 474 criminal cases were registered between October 2015 and 2021 with respect to children missing from Government-run CCIs.
As the information provided under RTI has disclosed that 141 missing children yet to be traced, the petitioner has contended that it shows serious lapsed on part of both the management of CCIs, the police and other Government authorities.
The petitioner contended that there is every possibility that these children, who went missing from Government-run CCIs, might have been used illegally to work in industries and as domestic help, besides becoming victims of human trafficking.
