Indore High Court Seeks Response On PIL Over Missing Women, Children

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Indore Bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday issued notice on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking judicial intervention into the alleged failure of authorities to effectively trace missing women and children in Indore district.

The petition, filed by Indore-based social activist and advocate Abhijeet Pandey, raises concerns over the number of unresolved missing-person cases, lack of updated official data and alleged shortcomings in investigation and coordination among agencies.

The petitioner has claimed that the issue poses serious concerns for the safety and constitutional rights of women and children.

According to the petition, the petitioner sought district-wise information through Right to Information (RTI) applications in July 2026 on missing women and children in Indore from Jan 1, 2021, to June 30, 2026, including details of persons traced, recovered and cases pending.

The petition claims that no information was provided. A representation submitted to the authorities on July 17 also allegedly received no response.

The petitioner has pointed out that updated official data after 2023 is not readily available and has questioned the implementation of existing Supreme Court directions and the Ministry of Home Affairs advisory on tracing missing children and preventing trafficking.

The PIL seeks constitution of an expert committee to assess the number of missing cases and recoveries, besides a comprehensive status report from authorities on missing women and children in Indore since January 2021. It also seeks effective implementation of protocols, periodic review of cases by senior police officers, functioning of Anti-Human Trafficking Units and appointment/disclosure of a nodal officer.

The petitioner has also sought regular publication of district-wise data on missing persons, traced or recovered individuals and pending investigations.