PRAYAGRAJ, Jan. 30 -- The Allahabad high court on Friday came down heavily on the Uttar Pradesh Police over frequent cases of shooting the accused in their legs.

"Such act is not permissible in the eyes of law as the power of punishment to the accused is within the domain of judiciary and not in the domain of police. India is a democratic country. It has to be run as per the ethos and directions of the Constitution of India which clearly distinguishes the role of legislature, executive and judiciary," observed a bench of Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal.

"In the garb of appreciation or for other extraneous purposes, police officers cannot be allowed to take the function of judiciary to punish a criminal by unnecessary firing and causing...