Subscribe
The Telangana High Court on Tuesday, September 22, initiated a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to examine alleged illegal adoption and human trafficking of infants and children in the state and assess the implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice Vakiti Ramakrishna Reddy took up the matter as a PIL after examining reports submitted in a writ appeal concerning the custody of a child placed at a Shishu Kendra in Nalgonda.
“The reports submitted in the writ appeal do project a widespread nature of activities of illegal adoption or human trafficking of babies and young children in the State,” the Bench observed.
The court noted that the issue involved larger public interest and said the suo motu PIL would examine whether the provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, were being effectively implemented in Telangana.
“Many of these children are infants and their biological parents are also not traceable, and the middlemen are absconding,” the Bench said.
The Home Department informed the court that police action had been initiated in 30 cases involving the rescue of children. The children are currently under the care of the State. A total of 176 accused persons, including alleged buyers, sellers, organisers, mediators and suppliers, have been named in these cases.
The reports also showed that multiple children were recovered in individual operations, with up to 15 children recovered in Malkajgiri and 11 in Suryapet.
The Bench noted that biological parents had been traced in only 27 cases. Of these, 26 cases were reported to the Child Welfare Committee, while one case involving a child in conflict with the law was referred to the Juvenile Justice Board.
The police told the court that efforts were underway to trace absconding accused persons and untraced biological parents, with interstate coordination and continued cooperation with child welfare agencies.
The PIL arose from a writ appeal filed by 35-year-old farmer M Venkanna, who challenged a single judge’s order refusing relief in his plea seeking custody of his two-year-old adopted daughter, Sharanya.
Venkanna had adopted the child from a person identified as Nakka Yadagiri when she was 30 days old in May 2023. The police later took the child from Venkanna’s house, stating that she was among babies allegedly trafficked and sold by Yadagiri and his associates. The child was subsequently placed at the Shishu Kendra in Nalgonda for protection and care.
The single judge had refused to hand over the child to Venkanna, observing that the adoption had not been carried out in accordance with Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) guidelines.
During the hearing of the appeal, the Division Bench appointed senior counsel B Mayur Reddy as amicus curiae and sought a report on the issue.
The court was informed that the biological parents of the child in Venkanna’s case had not yet been traced, while the woman alleged to have acted as a middleman in the trafficking case remained absconding.
Mayur Reddy submitted a report on the conditions at the Shishu Kendra in Nalgonda. He recommended regular visits by paediatricians, child psychologists and behavioural therapists, security personnel at the entrance of the facility, and an increase in the monthly allocation per child from Rs 2,500 to meet expenses towards nutritious food, clothing and medical supplements.
Taking note of the report, the Bench directed the Principal Secretary, Home Department; Director, Women Development and Child Welfare Department; Secretary of the Telangana State Legal Services Authority; and the DGP, Women Safety Wing, Telangana, to be impleaded as respondents in the suo motu PIL.
The court said the PIL would be heard next on October 5. The writ appeal filed by Venkanna will be heard separately on October 7.
