The Allahabad High Court has underscored the principle that protecting the innocent is a core tenet of justice, referencing sacred texts from the Vedas, Bible, and Quran. According to the court, these texts emphasize that while the guilty may be numerous, not a single innocent person should suffer unjustly. This principle is compromise due to the arbitrary handling of gangster cases by police officers, resulting in real culprits escaping justice while innocents fall victim to exploitation.
A division bench comprising Justice Siddharth Verma and Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deswal has directed the state government to immediately provide training to police officers and magistrates involved in the Gangster Act cases. The training is intend to enhance their skills in preparing accurate gang charts, as the current approach has criticized for a lack of judicial discretion and adherence to established guidelines. Despite previous court directives and the identification of deficiencies, compliance has been inadequate.
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The court’s directives came in response to a petition filed by Abdul Latif alias Mustaq Khan of Mahoba, Hetram Mittal of Etawah, Tasleem, Hrithik of Bijnor, and Anoop alias Anuj of Mainpuri. The petitioners challenged the gang charts used to justify actions under the Gangster Act of 2021, citing issues such as missing dates of signing and discrepancies in the FIR sections.
In accepting the petition, the court has granted the competent authorities the freedom to issue fresh orders regarding the petitioners. Additionally, to ensure adherence to previous guidelines, the court has mandated that a copy of this order be sent to the Principal Secretary of Home, Principal Secretary of Justice, and the Chief Minister within 24 hours.
