The phrase alludes to a situation the place people engaged in practices thought-about malevolent or antithetical to a selected ethical or authorized code face no authorized repercussions. It implies a state of affairs of impunity, the place actions which may in any other case warrant authorized intervention usually are not topic to arrest or prosecution. This might stem from quite a lot of components, such because the actions being authorized throughout the prevailing authorized framework, a scarcity of proof, or a deliberate determination by authorities to not intervene.
Traditionally, such situations have arisen in contexts the place the definition of acceptable habits is contested, or the place the facility constructions in place shield sure teams or actions from authorized scrutiny. The implications are vital, probably resulting in a breakdown of social order, a notion of injustice, and the erosion of belief within the governing establishments. It could additionally gasoline social unrest and the demand for authorized reforms to handle perceived inequalities or loopholes.
