In a Tuesday ruling, the Supreme Court criticised the Uttar Pradesh government's handling of child trafficking cases and established stringent rules that states must adhere to in order to stop such crimes.

A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan instructed lower courts to finish trials in these cases within six months. They also directed that if any newborn is trafficked, the hospital involved must have its licence suspended. "High Courts across the country are directed to call for the status of pending trials in child trafficking cases. Then directions shall be issued to complete the trial in 6 months and also conduct a day-to-day trial," the top court said. Despite having strict laws, child trafficking and forced child labour continue to exist in India. Since 2020, about 36,000 children have gone missing, the Central Government told the Supreme Court in February.

The Supreme Court made strong remarks while hearing a case where a baby, who had been trafficked, was given to a couple in Uttar Pradesh who wanted a male child. The accused in the case had been granted anticipatory bail by the Allahabad High Court. The Supreme Court cancelled the bail and criticised both the Allahabad High Court and the Uttar Pradesh government for how they handled the case. "The accused was longing for a son and then got a son for Rs 4 lakh. If you desire a son... you cannot go for a trafficked child. He knew that the baby was stolen," the bench said.

The Supreme Court said that the High Court handled the bail applications carelessly, which caused many of the accused to run away. "These accused pose a serious threat to society. The least which was required from the High Court while granting bail was to impose a condition to mark presence in a police station every week. The police lost track of all the accused," the court said.

Pulling up the government, the judges said, "We are thoroughly disappointed... Why was no appeal made? No seriousness was shown." The Supreme Court has said that if a newborn baby is stolen, the hospital's licence should be cancelled. It also issued guidelines to help stop child trafficking cases. "If any newborn is trafficked from a hospital, the first step should be to suspend the licence of such hospitals. If any woman comes to deliver a child to the hospital and the baby is stolen, the first step is suspension of licence," the court ordered. The bench cautioned that if there is any carelessness, it will be taken seriously and considered as disrespect to the court.