Allahabad High Court expresses worry over snail‑paced district courts
Prayagraj, 30 September: The Allahabad High Court has expressed serious concern over the slow pace of trials in district courts and not providing the information sought by the district judiciary. Justice Vinod Diwakar, after completion of hearing of four petitions, reserved the decision on May 26, 2026 and delivered the verdict on September 28, 2026.
The court said that this delay is not the fault of any one person, but is a result of institutional behaviour.
Urmila Mishra: The 2009 criminal case at Naini police station in Prayagraj was filed more than 178 times in 16 years, but charges were not framed.
Sarfaraz Ahmed: After the FIR in 2008 and the charge sheet in 2010, approximately 143 dates were fixed, but the proceedings did not proceed.
V.S. Polytube: The 2013 case of a cheque bouncing of just Rs 59,000 was filed more than 100 times. The accused did not appear regularly.
Pappu Mate: Two sureties were required for bail. The High Court had already ordered his release on December 11, 2025, on a personal bond of Rs 5,000 and one surety. The petition was accepted.
The High Court had established the bail process in the Bachchi Devi case. According to the court, even after August 12, 2025, two sureties were required in 9,775 anticipatory bail and 156,155 regular bail orders.
The court stated that Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Sitapur, Bulandshahr, and Saharanpur received the most such orders. When reports were sought from the districts, only 25 responded, and even those were mostly incomplete. The court also commended the report of the Agra District Judge. In Mirzapur, four cases dating back to 1981 were still pending.
The court issued instructions that the case of Urmila Mishra, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Prayagraj, be resolved in a timely manner. Repeated exemption applications should be rejected, bail bonds should be confiscated if necessary, and action should be taken against police officers negligent in serving summons and warrants.
The trial of Sarfaraz Ahmed will also proceed according to these instructions.
The accused in the Palytube case must appear on every date. If he fails to appear, the SSP of Kanpur Nagar should ensure his presence. If he still fails, the trial should be completed by detaining him.
The court requested the Chief Justice to consider convening a full court and initiating a dialogue on compliance with the High Court Rules, 1952.
It said a copy of the decision should be sent to the Justice Department of the Union Law Ministry. It said the Registrar General should ensure digitization of the entire record.
The court said that the failure to frame charges for more than 20 years, and some cases dragging on for more than 40 years, is not a good sign for the institution.
