Tue Oct 14 16:27:06 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary and rewrite of the provided text as a news article:
**Summary:**
The Supreme Court of India has directed the Union government to ensure that all States and Union Territories appoint nodal officers specifically to handle cases of missing children. These officers’ contact details must be published on the Mission Vatsalya portal, an online platform designed to help trace missing children and coordinate investigations. The directive came in response to a public interest litigation highlighting the rising number of untraced missing children and concerns about the efficacy of existing systems. The court emphasized the need for improved information dissemination, cooperation between state and central authorities, and swift action from nodal officers upon receiving reports of missing children. Concerns about child abduction and trafficking were also raised.
**News Article:**
**Supreme Court Orders States to Appoint Nodal Officers for Missing Children Cases**
**NEW DELHI, October 14, 2025** – In a significant move to address the alarming number of missing children across India, the Supreme Court today ordered the Union government to instruct all States and Union Territories to appoint designated nodal officers responsible for handling such cases. The court’s directive mandates the publication of these officers’ names and contact details on the Ministry of Women and Child Development’s Mission Vatsalya portal.
The order came during the hearing of a public interest litigation filed by Guria Swayam Sevi Sansthan, a non-profit organization highlighting the persistent issue of untraced missing children. Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan, presiding over the Bench, emphasized the need for immediate action upon receiving complaints on the Mission Vatsalya portal, including prompt investigation and efforts to trace the missing children.
“We direct the Union of India to communicate to each State and union territory to depute a nodal officer responsible for cases of missing children and to make available their name and telephone number so that these details may be uploaded on the Mission Vatsalya portal,” the Bench stated.
Additional Solicitor-General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, assured the court that the Mission Vatsalya portal was already in place and integrated earlier initiatives like TrackChild and Khoya-Paya. However, Justice Nagarathna stressed the importance of better information dissemination and cooperation between central and state authorities.
Senior advocate Aparna Bhat, serving as amicus curiae, raised concerns about the increasing cases of child abduction and trafficking, criticizing the lack of timely and effective action by authorities.
The court directed the newly appointed nodal officers to establish a coordinated network across districts, states, and union territories for efficient information sharing. Furthermore, stakeholders have been instructed to conduct an online consultation to formulate effective recommendations.
The Centre has been given four weeks to collect the required details of nodal officers and upload them onto the Mission Vatsalya portal. The next hearing on the matter is scheduled for next month.
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