New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on a plea seeking prohibition on employment of children, particularly minor girls, in orchestras, dance bars, massage parlours, spas and similar establishments.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi termed the issue a “very serious” matter while issuing notice to the Union Government, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of Law and Justice, NCPCR and NHRC on the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by an NGO.
The plea challenged the “legislative omission” under the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 (CALPRA), under which occupations such as orchestras, dance bars, dance troupes, nautanki performances, massage parlours, spas and salons have not been included in the list of “hazardous occupations and processes” under Part A of the Schedule.
According to the petition, the exclusion of such establishments from the hazardous category has created an “enforcement vacuum”, enabling organised trafficking networks and exploitative establishments to operate under the guise of entertainment and wellness services.
The PIL sought directions to the Centre to include employment or performance of children below 18 years in orchestras, dance bars, dance troupes, nautanki performances, massage parlours, spas and salons in the list of prohibited hazardous occupations. It also sought directions for the formulation of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the rescue and rehabilitation of children engaged in such establishments.
The petition said minors, especially girls, are routinely trafficked, criminally confined and subjected to coercion, intimidation and sexual exploitation under the guise of employment opportunities.
It alleged that children are compelled to perform sexually explicit and exploitative acts for commercial gain, exposing them to grave physical, psychological and sexual harm.
Referring to rescue operations conducted between March 2025 and May 2026 across Bihar, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Delhi, the plea stated that 212 minors were rescued from orchestras and 12 minors from massage parlours and spas. The rescued children, aged between 10 and 18 years, were allegedly trafficked from states including West Bengal, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Chhattisgarh, as well as from Nepal.
The petition further claimed that orchestra groups, dance bars and spas were increasingly being used as fronts by organised trafficking networks for the commercial sexual exploitation of minor girls.
It added that children from impoverished and marginalised communities are allegedly lured through false promises of employment, glamour, marriage or financial upliftment before being trafficked across districts and states and subjected to abuse and forced labour.
The plea was filed by an NGO working to combat child trafficking, sexual exploitation and child marriage across India.
Earlier, the Patna High Court had also taken cognisance of the issue and issued notice to the Bihar government on a plea seeking complete prohibition on employment of minors in orchestra and dance groups.
(IANS)
