Now Reading: Allahabad HC slams UP Police for unlawful detention, orders release
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Allahabad HC slams UP Police for unlawful detention, orders release
The Allahabad High Court has strongly criticised the Uttar Pradesh Police for unlawfully detaining a man in Noida before his formal arrest, observing that the force is acting as a ‘law unto themselves’. A division bench of Justices Atul Sreedharan and Achal Sachdev declared the detention illegal and ordered the immediate release of the petitioner, Deepak, if not required in any other case.
The court termed Noida ACP Kamlesh Kant and investigating officer Anuj Kumar as ‘highly ignorant’ of procedures under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). It noted that Deepak was taken into custody at 7:34 pm on 23 August, while the FIR was lodged at 9:39 pm the same day, he was formally arrested only at 2:57 pm on 24 August. The court said documents appeared to have been prepared as a formality and that Deepak’s signature was allegedly obtained on blank paper. It directed the DGP to prepare better training modules on civil liberties and asked that its observations against the two officers be recorded in their service books.
The court warned that such lapses will not be tolerated in future and shall be deemed malicious unless the police provide material to the contrary.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both Times of India and Times Now reported the same court order and used near-identical language for the bench’s sharp observations, including the phrase ‘law unto themselves’. Times of India gave slightly more space to the court’s detailed procedural chronology, while Times Now led with the headline ‘Law Unto Themselves’ and included a bylined reporter’s name. Neither outlet introduced government-critical framing beyond quoting the court’s own criticism, neither carried a state police defence that challenged the findings. The coverage is essentially uniform straight reporting of a judicial rebuke. The concrete next step is the DGP’s obligation to revise training modules, and the court’s warning that similar future conduct will be treated as malicious.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report), timesnownews.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
