The Allahabad High Court, on Thursday, issued a directive to the Uttar Pradesh Home Secretary and the Director General of Police (DGP), emphasizing the need to strictly adhere to the provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters Act when compiling ‘gang charts’. The division bench, comprising Justice Siddharth and Justice P.K. Giri, highlighted significant lapses in compliance with the required format for documenting gang-related activities.
The bench expressed its concerns during the hearing of a case involving Jai Prakash Bind, alias Neta, from Bhadohi, who was arrested under the Gangsters Act. The court subsequently stayed his arrest, raising questions about the accuracy and completeness of the gang chart detailing his criminal history. It was revealed that despite allegations, only one criminal case was listed under column six of Bind’s gang chart, with inadequate details provided for other entries, notably those in column five which purportedly contained four other cases.
The judges criticized the persistent non-compliance with the guidelines that prescribe specific details for each column of the gang chart, including the criminal history of the individuals listed. They pointed out that such lapses undermine the legal process and could potentially affect the fairness of prosecutions under the Gangsters Act.
The court also ordered that a copy of their directive be distributed to district magistrates, police commissioners, SSPs, SPs, and SHOs across the state to ensure that future compilations of gang charts conform to legal standards. Furthermore, the state government was asked to respond to the petition challenging the FIR against Bind.
