India, Aug. 2 -- The Supreme Court on Friday blamed the Delhi Police of sheer negligence and adopting a casual approach in tracing the missing Russian woman accused of leaving the country with her minor son in defiance of court orders.

The apex court pulled up the police for being equally guilty of neglecting its order of May 22 by which they were directed to keep a close watch on the woman while granting her shared custody of the child. However, she left the country on July 8. Even on being told by the child's father on July 7 that the woman was missing, the court noted a "lack of sensitivity and responsibility" on part of the police to take immediate efforts to trace her.

The bench of justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said, "The...