The Supreme Court of India has given an important decision about child trafficking cases. The court said that state governments must act strictly against cases of newborn baby theft. If any hospital is involved in such a case, its license should be cancelled immediately.
What Happened in Varanasi
In 2024, several cases of newborn babies being stolen happened in Varanasi and nearby hospitals. The accused in these cases got bail from the Allahabad High Court. The families of the stolen babies filed a petition in the Supreme Court against this decision. While hearing the case, the Supreme Court widened the investigation. It asked the National Human Rights Commission and Indian Institute of Development to submit reports.
Supreme Court Cancelled the Accused’s Bail
In the latest judgment, a bench led by Justice J.B. Pardiwala cancelled the bail of the accused. The court noted that this was a nationwide child trafficking gang. Stolen babies were even recovered from states like West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan. The Supreme Court called the accused a danger to society. The court also criticised the High Court’s careless decision to grant them bail and blamed the Uttar Pradesh government for not challenging that order.
Supreme Court’s Orders to State Governments
The Supreme Court included recommendations from the Indian Institute of Development in its decision and directed all state governments to read and follow them. One major instruction is that if a newborn is stolen from a hospital, the hospital’s license must be cancelled first. The court said this could help stop such crimes.
Court’s Advice to Parents
The court advised all parents to be very careful about the safety of their newborn babies in hospitals. It also ordered all High Courts to collect details of pending child trafficking cases and instruct lower courts to settle them within 6 months.
Buying a Stolen Child Is a Crime Too
The Supreme Court made an important remark, saying — “If a newborn baby dies, parents feel pain but think the child has gone to God. But if their child is stolen, the grief is even worse because the child is now with an unknown gang.”
The court also cancelled the bail of people who bought those stolen children. The court said, “If someone is childless, it doesn’t mean they can buy another person’s child — especially after knowing that the baby was stolen.”
