Summary
- The Allahabad High Court has quashed the declaration of Zahid Ali as a "Goonda" under the U.P. Control of Goondas Act, 1970, citing misuse of the statute.
- The Court found no reasonable nexus between a single pending criminal case from 2020 and the externment order issued in 2026, emphasizing principles of natural justice.
- Justice Subhash Vidyarthi criticized the State for persistently using the Goonda Act as a tool of oppression despite judicial warnings against such misuse.
- This landmark ruling reinforces that preventive laws must not be used to punish individuals without substantial evidence or conviction.
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