The Delhi High Court on Wednesday (February 18, 2026) refused to entertain a petition seeking the creation of a dedicated cell in each police station in the city for cases of missing persons.
A bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said the public interest litigation (PIL) by Anand Legal Aid Forum Trust sought “omnibus” relief and was devoid of any specific instances where the police had refused to register an FIR.
Over 60 went missing each day in Delhi, including 16 children: Data
Relying on media reports, the petitioner’s counsel said the “alarming rise” in the number of missing person cases was a public issue.
“How policing is to be done should be left to the police. Where is the data on how many cases FIR was not registered? Don’t file petitions after reading a newspaper in the morning. Simply because you feel something should be dealt with in a particular manner, can you seek a mandamus?” said the bench.
