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Issuing additional guidelines to the standing orders and procedures followed in the investigation of missing children cases, the Delhi High Court observed that “children being the most valuable treasures of an emergent Dynamic Bharat deserve the best and safe environment”. The guidelines include having user-friendly handbooks at each police station, besides learning modules for officers.
A single-judge bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma observed in the December 7 order that even investigating officers face challenges while probing cases involving missing children.
The observations came on a plea moved by a man whose 16-year-old daughter went “missing” in July. She was eventually found and the court was told that she had left the house out of her own will due to some misunderstanding with her parents. The father, however, said that his minor daughter was found after 17 days “due to the lapses and negligent conduct of the police officials in relation” to his complaint and sought adherence to ‘Standard Operating Procedure For Cases of Missing Children’ issued in 2016 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
The high court thereafter deemed it crucial to lay down additional guidelines and directions for the “benefit of the investigating agency and complainants as well as public at large” in addition to the directions of the Supreme Court, procedures and standing orders.
The directions include translation of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and standing orders of the Delhi Police into languages widely spoken in Delhi, such as Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu.
It further directed that “learning modules” be created which will help officers enhance their understanding of the SOPs. It directed the Delhi Police Academy to ensure that such training modules are provided to all the newly recruited police officials in the academy.
The court also said that a “user-friendly ready-to-use handbook” be developed condensing key Standard Operating Procedure details for quick reference, which should be available in every police station across Delhi, ensuring easy accessibility to aid swift referencing during investigations.
It further called for the formulation of a “standardized checklist” to be maintained at all police stations, providing a comprehensive guide for investigating officers when handling cases related to missing children. The high court also stressed the need for “specialised training in cyber-enabled investigation techniques” as well as learning from global expertise.
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