New Delhi, Sep 24 (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to set up a dedicated online portal under the Union Home Ministry for tracing and investigating cases of missing children across the country.

A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan noted the lack of coordination among state and union territory police authorities tasked with handling such cases. The judges said the proposed portal should have a designated officer from each state to monitor missing complaints and share information effectively.

“There is a need for a coordinated effort to trace missing children,” the bench observed, stressing that a centralised mechanism was essential for efficiency. The court asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, to seek instructions on creating the portal.

Earlier, the top court had directed the government to remind states and union territories to furnish data on missing children. The matter came before the court through a petition filed by NGO Guria Swayam Sevi Sansthan, which highlighted unresolved cases of kidnapping and trafficking of minors.

The NGO pointed to five cases registered in Uttar Pradesh last year where boys and girls were abducted and trafficked through networks of middlemen to states including Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.