High Court strict on increasing cases of missing people in Delhi, sought answers from police and central-state government
Delhi High Court has expressed serious concern over the increasing cases of missing people in Delhi. The court has sought detailed views from the Central Government, Delhi Government and Delhi Police on this issue. Chief Justice D.K. During the hearing, the division bench of Justice Upadhyay and Justice Tejas Karia also asked whether any petition related to the same subject was pending in the Supreme Court. The court has asked the concerned parties to provide clear information in this regard. The next hearing of the case has been fixed for February 18, when the parties concerned will file their reports and replies.
NGO named Freedom Reclaimed filed a petition
NGO ‘Freedom Reclaimed’ has filed a PIL in the Delhi High Court regarding the increasing missing cases in Delhi. The petition claims that the number of missing people in the capital is increasing rapidly and the situation has now taken the form of an unprecedented crisis. According to the petition, more than 800 people were reported missing in the first 15 days of the first month of the year 2026. The petitioner says that this figure is extremely worrying and it raises questions on the functioning of the administrative system.
Petitioner made serious allegations against Delhi Police
In a PIL filed in the Delhi High Court, serious questions have been raised on the functioning of the police regarding the increasing missing cases in the capital. The petition said that the alleged laxity in the investigation and prevention mechanism could encourage activities like organized crime and human trafficking.
Citing Delhi Police data, the petition states that a total of 2,32,737 people were reported missing from 2016 to January 15, 2026. Of these, 52,326 people have not been found yet, while 6,931 children are still missing. The petitioner says that such a large pendency of cases indicates that there is a need to make the search and tracking system more effective. The petition alleges that the ‘Golden Hour’ i.e. the initial critical period after a person goes missing is often ignored. Apart from this, there has also been a delay in registering FIR in many cases, which may affect the direction and outcome of the investigation.
Delhi High Court also demanded to form a high level committee
The petition has also demanded formation of a high level committee. It is proposed that this Committee should regularly match the records of missing persons with the data of unidentified patients admitted in hospitals and records of unidentified bodies present in mortuaries, so that the identification and search process can be made faster and effective. The petitioner argues that a coordinated data system and regular audits can help reduce the number of pending cases. The case will now be heard again on February 18, when the court will consider the replies from the parties concerned and a possible plan of action.
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