The Delhi High Court today issued a notice to Delhi Police on a public interest litigation (PIL) concerning cases of missing persons in the national capital. During the brief hearing, the Delhi Court observed that two contrasting narratives are currently prevalent in the media regarding the issue of missing persons in Delhi, and said it would examine the factual position after receiving responses from the authorities. The Delhi High Court has posted the PIL for further hearing on February 18.

The development follows closely after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took suo motu cognisance of the matter and issued notices to the Chief Secretary of the Delhi government as well as the Commissioner of Police, Delhi, directing them to submit a detailed report within two weeks.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police have dismissed reports of a sudden increase in cases of missing children and warned rumour mongers of strict legal action for spreading unnecessary fear by misrepresenting data. The police rejected claims of any spike in missing persons cases, stating that official data shows no abnormal rise and that figures have remained broadly stable for nearly a decade.