SC Seeks DNA, Biometric System To Help Reunite Missing Children With Families
SC seeks Centre’s response on DNA and biometric identification system.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought responses from the Centre and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on a Public Interest Litigation seeking a nationwide DNA and biometric identification system for missing and rescued children. The plea seeks to use scientific identification methods to trace children, establish their identities and facilitate reunification with their families while incorporating statutory and privacy safeguards.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana issued notices to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the NCPCR after hearing the petition filed by Reepak Kansal through advocate-on-record Pravir Choudhary. The petitioner has sought directions to the Centre, states and Union Territories to establish a centralised framework for DNA and biometric identification of missing and rescued children.
The plea proposes mandatory DNA sampling, subject to safeguards and consent requirements, for unidentified rescued children and willing biological parents or guardians of missing children. It argues that scientific matching could help confirm identities and reunite children with their families. The petition also seeks integration of existing databases maintained by police authorities, shelter homes, Child Welfare Committees and Anti-Human Trafficking Units into a centralised, real-time national framework.
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The petitioner has also sought the creation of national and state-level child protection and anti-trafficking task forces to improve coordination between authorities across state boundaries. The proposed system would include time-bound procedures for investigation, rescue and rehabilitation of missing and trafficked children. The plea further seeks a standard operating procedure covering DNA testing, tracing, family reunification, rehabilitation, compensation and long-term monitoring of rescued children.
Another proposal in the petition seeks mandatory DNA verification of children proposed for adoption against national records before the adoption process is completed. The petitioner has suggested that such verification should operate under a regulated and privacy-compliant framework. According to the plea, the measure could help establish a child's identity and reduce the risk of illegal adoption, trafficking and identity misrepresentation.
The petition has additionally sought periodic compliance affidavits from authorities before the Supreme Court. These reports would detail the number of children reported missing, DNA samples collected, matches established, reunifications completed, prosecutions initiated and rehabilitation measures undertaken. The court's response comes at the initial stage of the PIL, with the Centre and NCPCR now required to respond to the proposed nationwide framework.
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