Above: Children in an orphanage/Photo courtesy: www.internationalstorytelling.org

There was a news article published in a newspaper in which it was mentioned that there is a child trafficking going on in West Bengal. The Supreme Court taking cognizance of it had issued notice to the West Bengal State Commission.

On Thursday (January 4), the bench comprising of CJI Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud said that it wants to wait to hear what Calcutta High Court has to say.

During the course of proceedings, the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Tushar Mehta submitted that the trafficking of children was mainly happening from orphanages in West Bengal.

To which the bench replied: “The future of the country is in the hands of children and state plays a major role in rehabilitating the orphaned children.”

The bench further said: “In view of the aforesaid it is necessary to have a comprehensive view on the entire country pertaining to the running of orphanages and the methods for adoption, the care given must be treated out for children and for the said purpose it is necessary that all the states reply within 3 days.”

The bench issued notice issued to all the states and said that the notice must be served to standing counsel for all the states and expressed its desire to examine replies from the states.

The bench stayed the further proceedings and order which is going on in Calcutta High Court and ordered that all the notices should be replied within two weeks.

The bench posted the matter for next hearing to January 22.

—India Legal Bureau