The Gangster Act in Uttar Pradesh: A Pattern of Discretionary Abuse?
The Allahabad High Court's recent rebuke of the Bahraich superintendent of police and district magistrate for approving a gang chart under the Gangsters Act without proper application of mind or recording reasons is just the latest instance of discretionary abuse in Uttar Pradesh.
The case highlights a deeper issue: repeated failures by senior officials to exercise discretion fairly, instead allowing their decisions to be swayed by expediency and politics.