Allahabad, June 6 -- The Allahabad High Court has come down hard on the Uttar Pradesh Police, saying a large section of its officers are more loyal to whoever is in power than to the Constitution, and that the state's administrative machinery has long been used as an instrument of personal dominion rather than public service.

The observations, made by Justice Vinod Diwakar, came in a matter related to the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, in which an accused had approached the court challenging action taken against him under the law.

Justice Diwakar did not return a final verdict on the broader legal questions, which are pending before the Supreme Court, but used the occasion to deliver a pointed...