1.08 Lakh Missing In UP: Allahabad High Court Registers PIL

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has registered a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) on the large number of missing persons cases in Uttar Pradesh, after noting that over 1.08 lakh complaints were filed in just over two years, but police action was taken in only about 9,700 of them.

PTI reported that the court described the figures as “shocking” during proceedings on Wednesday.

A division bench comprising Justices Abdul Moin and Babita Rani made the observations while hearing a criminal writ petition filed by Vikrama Prasad. He alleged that his son went missing in July 2024 and that the police showed no interest in tracing him.

The bench sought a detailed affidavit from the additional chief secretary (home). According to the affidavit, between 1 January 2024 and 18 January 2026, around 1,08,300 missing person complaints were registered in the state. Action to trace the missing persons was initiated in only around 9,700 cases, with no steps taken in the remaining matters.

According to PTI, the court expressed serious concern over the situation. "We are aghast at the attitude of the authorities in addressing the complaints pertaining to missing persons, which obviously requires a sense of urgency," the bench said.

PTI reported that the court also voiced anguish at the “lethargic attitude” of the police. Considering the issue to be of wider public importance, it directed the registry to register the matter as a PIL titled “In re: Missing Persons in the State”.

The court has listed the matter for further hearing on 5 February.

(With inputs from PTI)