Delhi High Court seeks Delhi Police response after plea alleges police laxity led to re-trafficking of minor girls

The Delhi High Court recently issued a notice to the Delhi Police over plea alleging failure on the part of the police to properly handle the custody of girls rescued from commercial sexual exploitation rackets [Just Rights For Children Alliance & Anr vs State of NCT of Delhi & Ors.].Justice Ravinder Dudeja ordered the police to explain whether their failure led to girls being re-trafficked. The matter will be heard next on July 17..The plea filed by non-profit organisations Just Rights For Children Alliance and Association For Voluntary Action said that they had assisted the Delhi Police in conducting raids to bust the sex rackets at Burari and Wazirabad. In the first raid at Burari, eight girls were rescued out of whom three were minors.The petition alleged that the police officials did not produce the rescued minors before the Child Welfare Committee as required under Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 and Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, but handed them back to their "so-called" parents without medical examination. No FIR was registered against the people running the sex racket, the plea stated. When the second raid was conducted at Wazirabad, seven girls were rescued in total, including five minors. Notably, one of the minors rescued in Wazirabad was the girl found in the Burari raid.The plea alleges that it was because of the police inaction and failure that the sex traffickers moved their operation from Burari to Wazirabad. "This was made possible on account of two reasons- firstly, the failure of the Police to register an FIR against the accused and letting her off scot-free; secondly, the failure of the Respondent authorities to rescue the child in true letter and spirit and rehabilitate her as per law rather than sending her right back into the clutches of her traffickers,” the petition stated. .Therefore, the petition sought directions for an inquiry into the lapses and to frame a Standard Operating Procedure in line with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), laying down steps to be taken by Police and other authorities in a raid or rescue of children/persons rescued from such situations..Advocates Prabhasahay Kaur, Taruna Panwar, Shubhra Agarwal, Rachna Tyagi, Bhuwan Ribhu, Shashi and Harshita appeared for the NGOs.Additional Standing Counsel Sanjeev Bhandari along with advocates Arjit Sharma, Nikunj Bindal and Nishtha Dhall appeared for the State..[Read order]