The Allahabad High Court criticised the police for their inaction in kidnapping cases, observing, “Police generally exhibit apathy in kidnapping cases as no responsibility is fixed,” and stressed the urgent need for greater accountability among officers.
The Allahabad High Court remarked that while police officials tend to project an exaggerated image of themselves, they often avoid addressing public grievances.
During a hearing for a missing person’s case, a bench consisting of Justice JJ Munir and Justice Anil Kumar observed that the police generally exhibit apathy in abduction/kidnapping cases, as no personal responsibility is fixed upon the officers.
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The Court expressed concern that in numerous instances, police officials display indifference, primarily because there is no personal accountability assigned to them.
The Bench stated,
“This lack of accountability often results in an abduction tragically turning into a murder due to their inaction.”
This observation made on Tuesday while considering a writ petition filed by Nitesh Kumar regarding his brother’s disappearance, which he claimed had not been adequately addressed by the police in Varanasi.
The court instructed the state government to submit a response and requested a personal affidavit from the Commissioner of Police in Varanasi by June 12, explaining why the abductee has not yet been found.
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The bench noted that this lack of accountability often leads to situations where abductions tragically escalate into murders due to police inaction.
The court suggested that if an abductee is not located in a timely manner and is ultimately killed, the responsibility should prima facie rest with the police chief in whose jurisdiction the abduction or kidnapping was reported, especially when it leads to fatal outcomes due to the failure to recover the victim.