NHRC takes suo motu note of alleged trafficking of girl children to Maharashtra cities

The National Human Rights Commission, on 3 November 2026, took suo motu cognizance of a media report published on 30 October 2026 alleging that parents in border districts of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan were selling their daughters to middlemen for Rs 3 to 5 lakh, often under the cover of fabricated adoption documents, driven by poverty. The report said that once the girls came of age, they were allegedly moved to cities in Maharashtra and sold into the sex trade for Rs 35 to 40 lakh, with their personal details altered to conceal their identities, and cited four specific cases. The Commission observed that the report, if true, raises serious issues concerning the violation of the human rights of the victim girl children.

It accordingly issued notices to the Chief Secretaries and the Directors General of Police of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, calling for detailed reports on the matter within two weeks of the notice. The Commission's action illustrates its power to act on its own motion, without a formal complaint, where a published report discloses an apparent violation of human rights, and to call on state authorities for an accounting within a fixed timeframe, ahead of any inquiry on merits.