• The Supreme Court directed all High Courts to call for information on pending cases of child trafficking from the respective district courts and direct finishing their trials within six months.

• The ruling came during the hearing of anticipatory bail pleas filed by accused in a high-profile child trafficking case from Uttar Pradesh, where the Supreme Court strongly criticized both the state government’s handling of such cases and the Allahabad High Court's decision to grant bail to the accused.

• A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan warned that any failure to implement these directives would be treated as contempt of court, reflecting the judiciary’s zero-tolerance approach to delays in child trafficking cases.

• If any newborn infant is trafficked from any hospital, the immediate action against the hospital should be suspension of licence to run the hospital over and above other actions in accordance with law, the bench added.

• This measure directly addresses systemic loopholes that traffickers often exploit, as highlighted in the Uttar Pradesh case where a stolen infant was illegally given to a couple seeking a male child. 

• The ruling underscores the court's intent to hold all responsible parties accountable, from traffickers to complicit institutions.

• By imposing strict timelines, the Supreme Court aims to prevent common issues like witness intimidation, evidence tampering, and case backlogs that often derail justice.

• The order also places clear obligations on state authorities and law enforcement agencies to treat child trafficking cases with the urgency they deserve, potentially transforming how such offenses are investigated and prosecuted across India.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)