The Allahabad High Court has strongly criticized the tendency of police officials to create a "larger-than-life image" while simultaneously shielding themselves from addressing public grievances.

The court expressed concern over the general apathy shown by the police in abduction and kidnapping cases, attributing it to the absence of personal accountability.

The observations came from a division bench comprising Justice JJ Munir and Justice Anil Kumar, while hearing a writ petition filed by one Nitesh Kumar, who alleged that his brother had gone missing and the police in Varanasi had failed to take effective steps to trace him.

During the proceedings held on Tuesday, the bench noted that such indifference often leads to grave consequences, with abduction cases sometimes escalating into murder due to police inaction. “When no responsibility is fixed, there is little incentive for officers to act with urgency,” the Court remarked.

The bench further stated that if an abductee is not recovered in time and is later found murdered, prima facie responsibility must lie with the police officer heading the jurisdiction where the FIR was lodged.

Directing the State Government to file its reply, the Court also sought a personal affidavit from the Commissioner of Police, Varanasi, to be submitted on or before June 12, explaining why the missing individual has not been located so far.