High Court raps police over missing minor

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Wednesday rebuked Guntur district police for failing to trace a Class X student who has been missing for nearly three months, and ordered the state’s police chief to ensure immediate action. The court told Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta to personally produce the girl before it, according to reports by The Times of India and Andhra Jyothy. The matter arose in a habeas corpus petition over the disappearance of the minor. Judges questioned why the police had still not located the girl despite the passage of time and the resources available to investigators. ### Why did the court intervene so directly? A habeas corpus petition brought the case before the High Court after the girl remained untraced for almost three months, The Times of India reported. The bench came down heavily on Guntur police and said the pace of the investigation was not acceptable in a case involving a missing minor. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The direction to the DGP to personally produce the girl marked an unusual escalation in the court’s response. Andhra Jyothy reported that the judges expressed serious displeasure with the handling of the case and pressed for accountability from senior police leadership. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) ### What did the judges say about the police investigation? The judges questioned how a Class X student could remain missing for so long without a breakthrough, according to The Times of India. The report said the court criticized the police for failing to use available means effectively to trace the girl and demanded that the search be intensified immediately. (andhrajyothy.com) Andhra Jyothy reported that the bench was particularly critical of delays and investigative lapses in the case. The publication said the court’s remarks reflected frustration that the investigation had not produced results despite the time elapsed since the girl went missing. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) ### Who is the officer the court ordered to act? Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta is the officer the court directed to act in the case, according to The Times of India. The order required the state police chief to ensure the girl is produced before the court, placing responsibility at the highest level of the Andhra Pradesh police hierarchy. (andhrajyothy.com) The Andhra Pradesh High Court has in recent weeks also sought broader reporting from the state on missing-children cases. In a separate matter on August 18, the court directed the government to submit a report on the number of children reported missing in the previous year, including how many had been traced and how many remained untraced, The Times of India reported. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) ### Is this part of a wider pattern of court scrutiny? The High Court has recently shown repeated concern over missing-children investigations in Andhra Pradesh. In June, it sought a detailed report from police in the case of a missing two-year-old girl from Tuni, according to NDTV. In August, it asked for statewide data while hearing a public-interest case linked to another missing child, The Times of India reported. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The latest order involving the Guntur student adds to that scrutiny, with the court moving beyond a request for a status update and directing the DGP’s personal involvement. That step, as reported by local media, followed the bench’s conclusion that routine investigative efforts had not produced results. (ndtv.com) ### What happens next in the case? The next step is a compliance report and the production of the girl before the Andhra Pradesh High Court, according to The Times of India’s account of Wednesday’s hearing. The court’s order puts the immediate burden on DGP Harish Kumar Gupta and Guntur police to show what action they have taken since the bench’s reprimand. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) Any further hearing date was not clear in the reports available on Wednesday night. What is clear from the court’s order is that senior police officials, led by the DGP, are now expected to return to court with the girl or with a concrete account of the steps taken to find her. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)