The Allahabad High Court has criticized the Uttar Pradesh government for allegedly using the Goonda Act as a tool for harassment. Justice Subhash Vidyarthi of the Lucknow bench emphasized that this powerful legislation must be invoked with extreme caution and only to maintain public order.
The court made these observations while quashing a Gonda district magistrate's order that had declared Zahid Ali a "goonda" and externed him for six months. The magistrate had relied on two criminal cases, one of which resulted in Ali's acquittal in 2017, and a beat information report that the court deemed insufficient for such action.
Finding no rational nexus between the petitioner's past record and the 2026 order, the court ruled that the authorities failed to exercise proper discretion. The bench further noted that relying on an acquitted case and unsubstantiated reports violated the principles of natural justice.
