Police Carve Larger-Than-Life Image But Show Apathy In Abduction Cases: Allahabad High Court

A bench comprising Justice JJ Munir and Justice Anil Kumar-X further noted that the police generally exhibit apathy in abduction/kidnapping cases, as no personal responsibility is fixed upon the officers.

This lack of accountability often results in an abduction tragically turning into a murder due to their inaction, the bench said.

The Court suggested that if, because an abductee is not traced promptly, the victim is killed, the responsibility, prima facie, must be fixed on the head of the police under whose jurisdiction the abduction or kidnapping report was made and which later resulted in fatal consequences because the victim was not recovered.

The division bench made this observation while dealing with a writ petition filed by one Nitesh Kumar regarding the disappearance of his brother, who he claimed was not being traced by the concerned police officials of Varanasi.

Issuing notice to the UP Government and other respondents, the Court also sought a personal affidavit from the Commissioner of Police, Varanasi, on or before the next date fixed (June 12), showing cause why the abductee has not been recovered so far.

Interestingly, the Court noted in its order that it was not the first case since morning where missing persons have not been traced out.