Overview
- The Allahabad High Court on Friday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to furnish district‑wise, police‑station‑wise and name‑wise details of arms licences held by 19 influential people and set the next hearing for May 26.
- Justice Vinod Diwakar told the state that visible displays of weapons can create an illusion of dominance, erode public trust and disturb civic peace, and said stricter scrutiny is needed to prevent licences being used for intimidation.
- The court’s demand follows a May 20 state affidavit showing 1,008,953 licences in the state, 23,407 pending applications, 1,738 pending appeals, 20,960 families with more than one licence, and 6,062 licences granted to people with two or more criminal cases.
- The bench criticised District Magistrates and police leaders across all 75 districts for failing to follow government orders and provisions of the Arms Act, 1959, and asked the home department to revisit its grant and review policy for licence holders with criminal antecedents.
- The petition came from jeweller Jai Shankar over a delayed licence decision in Bhadohi, and the court said similar past cases have led to licence cancellations, signalling that the disclosures could prompt targeted reviews or revocations and wider administrative reforms.