Srinagar, Nov 14: The Jammu and Kashmir Government is yet to submit an interim report to the Supreme Court on whereabouts of missing children in the State.
 The Apex Court had in August this year directed all the state governments and Centre to trace 55,000 missing children across India. The SC had sought from the Centre and states separate action-taken reports on the issue.
 However, the J&K Government has done nothing on the issue despite the official claims that the SC judgment would be “followed in letter and spirit”.
 Soon after the SC notice, the Law Minister Ali Muhammad Sagar had told Greater Kashmir that the Government would follow the directions and take necessary measures.
 The State Home Department had also claimed that it would take “effective measures” on the issue. “After examining the ruling the state government would take effective measures over the issue,” State Home Minister Nasir Aslam Wani had told this newspaper.
 Ironically, even after two months of the SC direction, the J&K government is yet to examine the judgment, leave alone following the direction in “letter and spirit” and taking “effective measures” on the issue which the Supreme Court stated as “serious.”
 Earlier, it was reported that the J&K Government was planning to constitute a fact-finding committee to find out the count of missing children in the state.
 However, official sources said that the government’s plan is lost to “political intrigue” with top officials differing on constitution of such a body. “The plan did not materialize owing to opinion differences among top officials,” they said.
 Law Secretary Ghulam Hassan Tantry said the matter does not fall under the jurisdiction of Law Department. “Our department is into making laws. The implementation part is undertaken by the Home Department,” he said.
 Legal experts said it was mandatory on part of J&K government to act on the SC ruling and submit the report. “Legally the State Government must have been in the process of collecting the data over the issue,” Syed Riyaz Khawar, senior High Court lawyer said.
 “The Supreme Court direction has a legal binding on every institution,” he said, adding that the state government was bound to follow the Apex Court’s direction.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 14 Nov 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 14 Nov 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 15 Nov 2012 00:00:00 IST