EXAMINING POLICE USE OF FORCE: EVALUATING PROCEDURAL STANDARDS AND DEMOGRAPHIC DISPARITIES IN LAW ENFORCEMENT PRACTICES
AUTHOR – KARTIKEY YADAV* & DR. ARVIND KUMAR SINGH**
* STUDENT AT AMITY UNIVERSITY, LUCKNOW, UTTAR PRADESH
** PROFESSOR AT AMITY UNIVERSITY, LUCKNOW, UTTAR PRADESH
BEST CITATION – KARTIKEY YADAV & DR. ARVIND KUMAR SINGH, EXAMINING POLICE USE OF FORCE: EVALUATING PROCEDURAL STANDARDS AND DEMOGRAPHIC DISPARITIES IN LAW ENFORCEMENT PRACTICES, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 5 (4) OF 2025, PG. 173-188, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344.
ABSTRACT
The paper reviews the legal and institutional regime around police use of force in India, including procedural standards as well as demographic differentials in implementation. The analysis considers the constitutional underpinnings that both enable and limit police power and assesses the on-going gaps in implementing legal safeguards. By analyzing landmark judicial pronouncements like D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal and Prakash Singh v. Union of India, the paper traces the evolution of legal standards governing the application of force. It points out worrisome patterns of demographic disparities that disproportionately impact marginalized communities, most notably religious minorities and lower castes, when it comes to encounters with police forces.The study contextualizes Indian practices against international human rights standards and comparative perspectives; and critically examines compensation jurisprudence for victims of excessive force. The paper exposes structural challenges to accountability such as procedural barricades, institutional resistance and political intermeddling that continue to breed impunity. We recommend multilevel responses to better understand the normative and implementation challenges to shaping police practices to conform with the constitutional aspirations of dignity, equality and justice.
KEYWORDS
Police use of force, Constitutional safeguards, Demographic disparities, Procedural accountability, Custodial justice