The High Court on Monday directed the Centre and Delhi government to respond to a plea seeking to protect children — who were orphaned due to COVID-19 — against being trafficked till they are legally adopted.
An High Court Bench issued notices to the Union Ministries of Home Affairs, Women and Child Development and Health and the city police on the plea.
The court also issued notices to the Delhi government, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
The plea filed by Jeetender Gupta, an advocate on record in the Supreme Court, has sought directions to the authorities to provide the interim custody of such children to their relatives or child-care homes and protect their identity.
Legal adoptions
Mr. Gupta has sought directions to the authorities to explore the options for legal adoptions after scrutinising the details of those who have expressed an interest to adopt such children.
Another plea filed by advocate Anand has claimed that State agencies have not prepared any data regarding the number of children whose parents were infected with COVID or have succumbed to the disease.
The plea contended that in the absence of the data, these kids have become a target for traffickers.
It claimed that according to media, there has been a substantial rise in the number of cases of child trafficking and abuse during the pandemic and therefore, “there is an immediate necessity to curb this evil at the stage of its inception itself”.
