Immediate FIR Must Be Registered For Every Missing Person, Irrespective Of Age Or Gender: Supreme Court Warns States

The Supreme Court recently clarified that its direction requiring police to immediately register an FIR on receiving information about a missing person applies to every person, irrespective of age or gender. The Court said the word "person" in its earlier order cannot be understood as referring only to children and warned that States and Union Territories that failed to comply with the direction could face contempt proceedings.A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R. Mahadevan passed the direction while reviewing compliance with its earlier orders in proceedings concerning measures to prevent human trafficking and to trace missing persons. The Court noted that under its order dated May 22, 2026, all States had been directed to register an FIR upon receiving information regarding any missing person.