Lawyers panel on missing children points out police error

The case of the odd cycle rickshaw theft was brought to light by Menon today before a Division Bench led by Chief Justice A P Shah.

“The Delhi Police are not only referring to the DLSA cases of missing children aged up to 16 years,but also cases of older women,a dowry case and a case relating to a stolen rickshaw,” Judge Menon stated in her affidavit today.

There are about 9,000 untraceable children in the Capital according to a report by the Delhi Commission for the Protection of Child Rights on record before the High Court. The court had taken suo motu cognizance of the burgeoning statistics of missing children cases earlier this year.

Menon and her team at the DLSA was then directed on September 16 by Delhi High Court Chief Justice A P Shah to form a panel of 15 specialist lawyers and social workers dedicated to digging out long forgotten cases of missing children,and keep a vigilant eye on police investigations into the complaints as well as provide legal aid to the parents.

Exactly a month later,Judge Menon was back in court today,and her feedback is hardly promising.

The 15-member panel is yet to be formed — advocates and a “few counsellors” do not seem interested — and the police seems to have got their brief all wrong.

“Why is a stolen rickshaw among the cases of missing children?” a visibly surprised Chief Justice asked police counsel Meera Bhatia.

Judge Menon requested the court to direct the police to send cases strictly pertaining to missing children below 16 years of age. With few lawyers and social activists at hand for the task,the DLSA said they are making do with their present crop of in-house advocates and counsellors.

Judge Menon said DLSA lawyers “are new to this kind of work” and sought more time for a full,detailed report.