The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Union government to determine whether incidents of children going missing across the country point to a coordinated nationwide network or are confined to state-specific groups.

A Bench comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan stressed the importance of identifying whether there is a discernible pattern behind such cases or if they are isolated and unrelated occurrences. The Court asked the Centre to compile and examine comprehensive data from all states.

The Bench also suggested that children who have been rescued should be interviewed to help identify those responsible for the disappearances.

Appearing for the Centre, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the Court that while several states have submitted data on missing children and related prosecutions, nearly a dozen states are yet to furnish their reports. She stated that a meaningful analysis would be possible only after complete data is received from all states.

Expressing concern over the delay, the Court cautioned that it may consider passing strict directions against states that fail to comply. The matter arose from a public interest litigation filed by an NGO highlighting the growing number of children who remain untraced in various parts of the country.