Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench has stated that the police cannot collect the licensed firearms for deposit without valid reasons during the elections. Justice Abdul Moin of the Lucknow bench of the HC has ordered that district captains and district magistrates can accept firearms from the license holders only for valid reasons.
In a matter of depositing licensed arms in view of the Lok Sabha polls, the HC passed the order on a petition of five people including Ravi Shankar Tiwari of Amethi. The court noted that despite the previous decision on February 25, 2022, authorities often fail to comply with the order.
Additionally, the court has issued a warning that in the future, if such negligence persists, the court will be compelled to take action against the officials involved. The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19.
The counting of votes will take place on June 4.
