Allahabad HC pulls up Uttar Pradesh police over concealment of arms licence details of influential persons

Key points

• The Allahabad High Court has pulled up the Uttar Pradesh police and district administration over the alleged concealment of information relating to arms licences issued to influential individuals, including politicians and persons with significant social clout.
• Justice Vinod Diwakar made the observations while hearing a petition filed by Jai Shankar alias Bairistar, who raised concerns over the alleged misuse of firearms in Uttar Pradesh.
• In an earlier hearing, the court had sought district-wise details of arms licences issued across all 75 districts in the State.
• The court’s observations came after it examined an affidavit filed by the Joint Secretary (Home), which pointed to irregularities in the administration of arms licences.
• Data placed before the court showed that Uttar Pradesh has over 10 lakh arms licences.