Delhi High Court asks Centre to respond to plea on ‘surge’ in missing person cases

Delhi High Court requests a response from the Centre regarding a surge in missing person cases in Delhi.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday (February 11, 2026) asked the Centre, the Delhi Government and the police to respond to a petition on the “surge” in the number of missing persons in the city.

A Bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia listed the matter for hearing on February 18.

The petition, filed by an NGO, states that there is an “unprecedented crisis” in Delhi, with reports of more than 800 persons going missing in the first 15 days of this year.

“The petitioner highlights that the alarming rate of 800 disappearances in a fortnight points toward a flourishing ecosystem for organised crime, human trafficking and other grave organised criminal activities, all of which thrive in the shadow of the respondent’s failure to implement a time-bound, technologically driven investigative protocol,” it adds.

The critical “golden hour” following a disappearance is routinely ignored, the plea contends, adding that complaints are met with procedural hesitation, leading to a delay in the registration of FIRs.

The petitioner sought directions from authorities to ensure strict implementation of its protocols in every missing person case.