The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought responses from the Delhi Police, the Government of India, the Government of NCT of Delhi, and the National Human Rights Commission on a plea seeking action over the disappearance of more than 800 persons from the national capital during the first 15 days of 2026.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia directed the concerned authorities to file their replies within four weeks.

“Let the respondents file their response to this petition within four weeks. Two weeks thereafter for rejoinder,” the Court said.

The Delhi High Court passed the order while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Jayeeta Deb Sarkar.

A news report recently disclosed that between January 1 and January 15, as many as 807 persons were reported missing from Delhi, triggering widespread public concern.

On February 6, the Delhi Police issued a post on social media, terming the heightened discourse around the spike in missing persons as “paid promotion” and cautioning that action would be taken against those allegedly creating panic for monetary gains.

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission took suo motu cognisance of the reports and issued notices to the Delhi government and the Delhi Police Commissioner, seeking a detailed report within two weeks. The Commission observed that if the reported figures were accurate, they could raise serious human rights concerns.