Allahabad HC orders demolition of illegal towers at Ghaziabad
The Allahabad High Court has delivered a major verdict in the case concerning illegal construction at Gulmohar Greens Society in Ghaziabad. The Court has directed the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) to completely demolish illegal Towers 27 and 28 of the society. The Court has also ordered the demolition of the illegally constructed ninth and tenth floors of Towers 16, 17, 18 and 19 within two months. The Court has imposed a penalty of Rs 25 lakh on the builder. The amount must be deposited into the account of the Residents' Welfare Association (GGRWA) within one month. The entire cost of demolition will be recovered from the promoter as arrears of land revenue. The police and administration have been directed to provide security to the GDA. The Court reprimanded the GDA for the negligence of its officials, observing that residents had suffered due to their negligence. The GDA has been directed to pay Rs 50,000 in costs to each petitioner. The Court has directed that an FIR be reg...
Allahabad High Court orders demolition of illegal towers in Ghaziabad, fines builder Rs 25 lakh
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The BJP retained three Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council seats during a recent polling event. Allegations surfaced regarding an assault on a Samajwadi Party candidate in Agra, stirring controversy. In the Allahabad-Jhansi seat, SP candidate Mansingh Yadav led by a significant margin after multiple counting rounds. Disputes regarding vote counting occurred in the Gorakhpur-Faizabad seat due to discrepancies found in a ballot box.
UP MLC polls counting underway: BJP wins four, SP secures Varanasi Teachers' seat
Digital Desk | Lucknow, Oct 28 (IANS) The elections for the Legislative Council's Teachers' and Graduates' constituencies, seen as a crucial indicator of the political climate ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, are witnessing a fierce contest between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party. In the ongoing vote count for 11 seats, the BJP has secured victory in four, while the Samajwadi Party's Lal Bihari Yadav has won the Varanasi Teachers' constituency. The BJP has retained both the Teachers' and Graduates' seats in Meerut. Umesh Dwivedi achieved a hat-trick by winning the Lucknow Teachers' seat for the third consecutive time. Meanwhile, the counting of votes for the remaining seats is underway. Polling for these 11 seats, comprising five Graduates' and six Teachers' constituencies, took place on October 23, with a total of 152 candidates in the fray. The outcome will be determined by the votes of approximately 14.81 lakh electors. The counting process began at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday across seven centres in the state. Tight security arrangements are in place, with the process being monitored via CCTV cameras and videography. The BJP emerged victorious in both the Teachers' and Graduates' constituencies of the Meerut-Saharanpur division. For the Teachers' seat, BJP candidate Shrichand Sharma won by securing 18,099 votes, while in the Graduates' constituency, the BJP's Dinesh Goyal secured victory with 24,928 votes. Hari Singh Dhillon of the BJP won from the Bareilly-Moradabad Teachers' constituency. As mentioned, Umesh Dwivedi of the BJP secured a hat-trick by winning the Lucknow Teachers' constituency for the third time in a row. Following his victory, Umesh Dwivedi expressed his gratitude to the teachers and voters. I express my gratitude and thanks to all my respected teachers and fellow voters. I also extend my heartfelt thanks to the Bharatiya Janata Party, Yogi-ji, Modi-ji, and the party's lakhs of workers and office-bearers for placing their trust in me, he said. Meanwhile, in the Varanasi Teachers' constituency, Lal Bihari Yadav of the Samajwadi Party emerged victorious. Following his victory, he stated, The BJP's claims of winning both seats had proven hollow. Teachers had placed their trust in Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, and campaigning by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had no impact on the election. Lal Bihari Yadav also accused the administration of harassing his supporters during the election. He alleged that some individuals were placed under house arrest, while others were pressured not to leave their school premises. There has been no official response from the administration regarding these allegations. During the vote counting for the Agra Teachers' Constituency, a dispute arose between the Samajwadi Party and BJP candidates. SP candidate Akash Agarwal alleged that he was assaulted at the counting centre and that his 'kurta' was torn; he held BJP supporters responsible for the incident. Following the incident, tension escalated at the counting centre, with supporters from both parties confronting one another. Conversely, BJP workers dismissed the allegations, claiming that Akash Agarwal had torn his own 'kurta'. BJP workers also staged a sit-in protest. Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar stated that both sides have levelled accusations of assault against each other, leading to a contentious situation at the counting centre. The counting of votes for the Gorakhpur-Faizabad Teachers' Constituency is taking place at the Commerce Department of Gorakhpur University. Here, the Samajwadi Party has boycotted the counting process, alleging electoral malpractice. SP leaders alleged that the democratic process is being compromised, claiming that administrative officials and observers are working to ensure the victory of the BJP candidate. These allegations have not been independently verified. A tight contest between the BJP and the SP is also being observed in the Graduates' Constituencies. In the Allahabad-Jhansi Graduates' Constituency, SP candidate Mansingh Yadav took the lead following the fifth round of counting. In the Lucknow Graduates' Constituency, SP candidate Kanti Singh has been leading since the initial rounds. Meanwhile, for the Varanasi Graduates' constituency seat, the contest is between Ashutosh Sinha of the SP and Kedar Singh of the BJP. The counting of first-preference votes has commenced here. The result for this seat is expected to be declared later in the day. In the remaining constituencies, the counting of votes is currently underway.
University of Allahabad Postdoctoral Fellowship Recruitment 2026
University of Allahabad has invited offline applications for the post of Postdoctoral Fellowship. Applications can be submitted from 28 October 2026 to 18 November 2026. For complete details, candidates can visit allduniv.ac.in.
Counting for Allahabad-Jhansi graduate MLC seat begins in Jhansi
Railways may drop Prayagraj prefix from 3 stations to end passenger confusion
NDRF leads joint mock train accident drill at Chunar Jn
3 held for siphoning PM Kisan funds in Pratapgarh
HC admits appeals of blue drum murder convicts, fixes Nov 30 hearing
UPESSC refutes quota rumours in 17,735-post TGT recruitment; warns against misleading propaganda
IIIT-A launches five-day workshop on sensors, photonic devices
HC orders Rs 50L Covid ex gratia despite absence of RT-PCR report
Positive Antigen Test Enough for Relief Claim
3 SIs suspended for dereliction of duty
CJI Surya Kant pulls up lawyer seeking listing of disproportionate assets case against Rahul Gandhi
Digital Desk | New Delhi, Oct 27 (IANS) Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Tuesday reprimanded a lawyer seeking an urgent listing of a disproportionate assets case against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, questioning whether the move was intended to generate media attention. There is no head, no tail to this mentioning, the CJI remarked, taking exception to the grounds cited by the lawyer for seeking an early hearing in the matter. The lawyer sought the listing of the matter, contending that Rahul Gandhi had recently claimed at an event that he was in touch with 200 officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Responding to the submission, CJI Kant asked the lawyer, Have you spoken to any news channel for this? Following the exchange, the CJI orally instructed the court staff to discontinue live streaming of the mentioning proceedings henceforth. The remarks came in the backdrop of the Supreme Court's earlier order staying proceedings before the Allahabad High Court in the disproportionate assets case and restraining the CBI and the ED from submitting any report before the High Court. The case arises from a complaint filed by Karnataka-based BJP worker S. Vignesh Shishir, who alleged that Rahul Gandhi possessed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. In August, the Supreme Court had asked the Allahabad High Court to defer proceedings in the matter and also restrained the central agencies from submitting any report to it. The top court also said that if any agency has knowledge of any disproportionate assets belonging to any individual, it can proceed on its own, and the same does not require court orders. The Congress leader had approached the apex court challenging the Allahabad High Court's directions to the CBI and the ED to verify the allegations. He had also filed a separate transfer petition seeking to shift the proceedings from the Allahabad High Court to the Delhi High Court.
Lawyers protest at SRN Hospital, seek doctors arrest
NCR revises train timings of several train from Oct 28
Cops install attachment notice on benami properties linked to Atiq
MNLU Nagpur wins Pt Kanhaiya Lal Misra national moot court 2026
HC seeks push for timely upload of medico-legal reports
Festive Rhythm: Dandiya gives hearing-impaired a voice
Azad slams govt, vows equal education for all
Blue drum murder: Alld HC to hear convicts appeal today
Protest over new TGT rulesgains steam
SC Seeks ED Reply on Builders Bail Plea
The plea challenges the Allahabad High Courts rejection of bail in an alleged homebuyer fund diversion case.
Can a husband avoid paying maintenance by claiming he has no income?
Allahabad High Court has ruled that a husband capable of earning cannot escape his obligation to maintain his wife by citing unemployment or poor business performance
The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice on a plea filed by Unnati Fortune Holdings Ltd. (UFHL) promoter Anil Mithas challenging the Allahabad High Courts refusal to grant him bail in a money laundering case involving the alleged diversion of 126.30 crore collected from homebuyers for the companys Aranya project. A bench comprising Chief Justice [] The post Supreme Court seeks EDs response to UFHL promoter Anil Mithass bail plea in 126.30-crore money laundering case appeared first on India Legal .
Lakhimpur Kheri violence: SC allows former minister's son Ashish Mishra to visit hometown on Diwali
Ashish Mishra, an accused in the Lakhimpur violence case, has been permitted to travel home for Diwali. The Supreme Court acknowledged the need for a timely conclusion to the ongoing trial. Ashish Mishra, who is currently out on bail, must return by October 16 as per court orders. In the past, the Allahabad High Court transferred the trial court judge due to concerns regarding case management.
Lakhimpur Kheri violence case: SC permits Ashish Mishra to visit family on Diwali
Digital Desk | New Delhi, Oct 26 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday permitted Ashish Mishra, the prime accused in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, to visit his hometown in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri to celebrate Diwali with his family and close relatives. A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana allowed Mishra's plea seeking permission to visit his hometown for the festival and directed him to return on November 16. Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for Mishra, submitted that the apex court had granted him similar relaxations on previous festive occasions and requested permission for a week-long visit to celebrate Diwali with his family. The CJI Kant-led Bench allowed the request, recording in its order that Mishra could visit Lakhimpur Kheri to celebrate Diwali with his family and close relatives, subject to the existing bail conditions. During the hearing, the apex court was also apprised of the progress in the trial. Advocate Ruchira Goel, Standing Counsel for the Uttar Pradesh government, informed the CJI Kant-led Bench that a Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) had been appointed in the case. Responding to concerns over the pace of the trial, the apex court highlighted the need to ensure its timely conclusion without either rushing the proceedings or allowing prolonged delays. Let the trial be timely concluded. There should not be a tearing hurry, but there also should not be prolonged delay. Balance has to be maintained by the prosecution, the CJI Kant-led Bench observed. The hearing also touched upon the transfer of the trial judge, whose conduct had earlier been questioned by the victims' side. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the victims, expressed satisfaction over the developments concerning the transfer. However, senior advocate Siddharth Dave submitted that the transfer was a routine administrative exercise and was not based on any suspicion or adverse finding against the judge. The Supreme Court clarified that it was not casting any aspersions on anyone and observed that whatever corrective measures the Allahabad High Court had taken were sufficient. The issue follows the apex court's earlier directions passed on September 22 to forward an application raising allegations concerning the conduct of the trial judge to the Allahabad High Court for appropriate action and seek a report in a sealed cover. The Supreme Court has been monitoring the progress of the trial arising from the October 3, 2021, violence in Lakhimpur Kheri, in which eight people were killed during a farmers' protest against the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. According to the Uttar Pradesh Police FIR, four protesting farmers were allegedly mowed down by an SUV in which Mishra was seated. In January 2023, the Supreme Court imposed stringent conditions while granting interim bail to Mishra, including restrictions on his entry into Uttar Pradesh except for attending trial proceedings and a warning that any attempt to influence witnesses could lead to cancellation of bail. The apex court made his interim bail absolute in July 2024 and subsequently relaxed certain conditions, permitting him to stay in Lucknow or Delhi and allowing limited visits to his family.
Meerut Blue Drum Murder Case: Muskan, Sahil Challenge Death Sentences in High Court
Meerut, October 26: Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla, sentenced to death in the Meerut blue drum murder case, have challenged their conviction and punishment before the Allahabad High Court, alleging serious shortcomings in the prosecutions evidence and the investigation. The two were convicted by a Meerut district court on September 30, 2026, and awarded the [] The post Meerut Blue Drum Murder Case: Muskan, Sahil Challenge Death Sentences in High Court appeared first on The Voice Of Sikkim .
NCR introduces portable hydraulic tamping machine
Prayagraj division clears Rs 3.44 crore aid for 104 powerloom weavers
RPF arrests over 1,200 for trespassing, illegal e-ticketing in Prayagraj division
Investigation launched into cop's death
Caste census key to social justice, says Bhupesh Baghel
Moonj to be showcased in Magh Mela, Haridwar Ardh Kumbh
27-year-old MBBS student found dead near hostel lawn in Pratapgarh
Judge who gave 23 death sentences in 6 months transferred
Additional District and Sessions Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar, known for awarding 23 death sentences in six months, has been transferred from a fast-track court to a family court in Muzaffarnagar by the Allahabad High Court. The transfer follows his questioning of administrative orders that withdrew 97 part-heard cases from his court and his concerns about judicial independence.
SSC CHSL 2026 applications drop by 50%, hit record low
Nath tradition ashram construction begins at Arail in Prayagraj
UPESSC opens hiring for 17,735 TGT posts in aided secondary schools
UP players win boys and girls titles at AITA U-18 tennis
Advocate assault row: Docs on duty suspended pending probe
MNNITs three-day entrepreneurship summit starts today
IndusInd Nippon expands insurance reach
No negligence in minor rape survivors C-section, MLNMC doc tells HC
Blue drum murder case: Convicts move HC against death sentence
HC defers hearing on plea against Rajeev Shuklas RS membership
Blue Drum Murder: Death Sentence Challenged In High Court
Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla, convicted in the sensational blue drum murder case, have appealed their death sentence in the Allahabad High Court. They argue the trial court's verdict, based on circumstantial evidence, was illegal and arbitrary, citing lack of concrete proof and procedural lapses. The High Court is expected to hear the matter next week.
Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla have filed an appeal in the Allahabad High Court challenging their death penalty. They were convicted for the murder of Saurabh Rajput, whose body was disposed of in a blue drum. The trial court described the case as one of the rarest of rare types. Their appeal argues that evidence presented was circumstantial and insufficient for a conviction.
Meerut blue drum murder: Muskan, her lover Sahil to challenge death penalty in Allahabad HC
Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla have decided to challenge the death penalty in the Allahabad High Court. Earlier, a Meerut District Court awarded death sentence to Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla on October 14 in the high-profile blue-drum murder case of Saurabh Rajput.
8-yr-old girl dies after being hit by reversing school van; driver detained
11 bikes with pressure horns seized
Salesman found murdered near liquor shop in Fatehpur
NCR to operate spl trains for PET-2026 examinees
Manchanda-Pandey, Raghuvanshi-Singh win doubles titles at Prayagraj AITA tennis
Prayagraj has potential to become eastern UPs startup hub
32.86% voting recorded in Allahabad-Jhansi graduate seat poll
Woman left behind at Chheoki station reunited with family by RPF
Hostile witnesses no ground to reject dying declaration: HC
8-year-old dies after school van reverses into her at doorstep in Prayagraj
The Election Commission (EC) has issued a clarification after bizarre entries were found in the voter lists for the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council (MLC) elections, including names such as Ram ne Yadav ko maara and Ram ne Sharma ko maara. In one instance, a voters fathers name was reportedly listed as https://B.Com .The irregularities were detected in the electoral rolls for the Allahabad-Jhansi Graduates' Constituency ahead of polling on Friday for 11 MLC seats in Uttar Pradesh. A list highlighting the unusual entries circulated on social media, prompting the Election Commission to respond.
Unusual names, details crop up in electoral roll for MLC polls in U.P.; ECI cites software error
The discrepancies were found in the Allahabad-Jhansi graduates' constituency ahead of polling for 11 MLC seats
A North Central Railway employee challenged his transfer from Prayagraj to Fatehpur after claiming his senior officer approved two extra days of leave through a WhatsApp 'OK'. The Allahabad bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal ruled that the message did not conclusively establish official leave sanction and upheld the transfer, accepting the Railways' administrative justification.
POCSO Survivor Cannot Be Denied Compensation Due to Absence of Injury Marks: Allahabad HC
According to the court compensation cannot be denied solely because the medical report does not record injuries.
POCSO survivor cannot be denied compensation solely due to absence of injury marks: Allahabad HC
The case relates to an FIR registered at Sarojini Nagar police station in Lucknow on December 7, 2022. A chargesheet in this connection was filed on January 13, 2023.
Landmark POCSO Ruling: Medical Report Not Sole Basis For Compensation
The Allahabad High Court has ruled that survivors of sexual assault under the POCSO Act cannot be denied compensation solely because their medical report does not record physical injuries. The court directed authorities to pay Rs 3 lakh to a minor under the Uttar Pradesh Rani Lakshmi Bai Mahila Samman Kosh scheme, emphasising that absence of injury marks does not negate sexual assault allegations and that the scheme's provisions must be interpreted liberally.
1.18 lakh voters to decide fate of 13 candidates in Allahabad-Jhansi graduate seat poll
Amid conservation push, number of blackbucks in Prayagraj sanctuary rises to 604
Six-lane Ganga bridge enters final testing, opening from Nov 15 likely
Patna-New Delhi Vande Bharat fest spl till Nov 28
NCR GM reviews cleanliness, seeks passenger feedback
Nehru Park set for safari makeover with deer, birds and nature trails
VC updates CM on RPNLU progress
SC Reverses HC Probation In 2003 Attack
The Supreme Court has strongly criticised the Allahabad High Court for releasing two men, convicted in a 2003 knife and gun attack case, on probation. The apex court stated that the High Court showed misplaced sympathy and allowed the accused to go scot-free without imprisonment, despite the brutality of the crime and grievous injuries to the victim. The Supreme Court set aside the High Court's order and directed the accused to surrender within two weeks.
Debts Recovery Appellate Tribunal, Allahabad (DRAT) has released the notification for 37 vacancies across various posts. The recruitment drive includes Stenographer, UDC, Assistant, Account Assistant, and other positions. Eligible candidates can submit their offline applications till 28 December 2026. Further details are available at drt.gov.in.
Murdered advocates family gets support from SP state president
City bids adieu to Goddess Durga, immersion processions fill roads
UP Board to release exam centre list on Oct 24, final list on Nov 27
RPF, NCRs Shaheed Parade honors martyrs
On way to Ayodhya after Sangam dip, Nepal family robbed in Jhunsi
VHP, Bajrang Dal conduct Shastra Puja
PRSU approves four new courses
SP accuses BJP of dodging key issues in UP
Police search for 2 boys feared drowned in Ganga
Three killed, child injured after dumper hits bike
In Jail Despite Bail: Administrative Inertia and the Unenforced Right to Personal Liberty
WHEN A COURT GRANTS BAIL , it makes a judicial determination that the liberty of the accused may safely be restored pending trial. Whether that determination takes effect, however, depends upon an administrative sequence that follows the order, over which the accused exercises no control. Where that sequence fails, the order of release remains on file and the person to whom it relates remains in prison. The Supreme Court addressed this precise failure three years ago. In In Re: Policy Strategy for Grant of Bail , by an order dated January 31, 2023 , it issued seven directions intended to ensure that an order of bail results in an actual release. Material now placed before the Court establishes that in Uttar Pradesh those directions have, in substance, not been implemented at all. This article sets out that material, identifies the statutory and constitutional obligations which it discloses to have been breached, and considers why directions of such administrative specificity have produced no measurable response. By taking Uttar Pradesh as a case study, the objective is to highlight the fatal distinction between the grant of bail and the release of the person granted bail; between these two events, hangs the fate and more importantly liberty and freedom of thousands of undertrial prisoners across India. The Supreme Court's Framework for Securing Release The suo motu proceedings were occasioned by a report of the National Legal Services Authority which disclosed that approximately 5,000 undertrial prisoners remained in custody notwithstanding orders of bail in their favour. The Bench of Justices S.K. Kaul and Abhay S. Oka responded with directions addressed not to principles, which were already settled, but to identified officers. Directions 1 to 3 govern the transmission of information. Direction 1 requires the court granting bail to send a soft copy of the order by electronic mail to the prisoner through the Jail Superintendent on the same day or the following day, and requires the Superintendent to enter the date of the grant of bail in the e-prisons software. Direction 2 provides that where the accused is not released within seven days of the grant of bail, it shall be the duty of the Superintendent to inform the Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority, who may depute a para-legal volunteer or jail-visiting advocate to interact with the prisoner and assist her in securing her release. Direction 3 requires the National Informatics Centre to create fields in the e-prison software so that non-release within seven days generates an automatic electronic communication to the Secretary. Direction 4 is the operative provision for present purposes. It provides that the Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority, with a view to finding out the economic condition of the accused, may take the help of Probation Officers or Para-Legal Volunteers to prepare a report on the socio-economic condition of the inmate, which may be placed before the concerned court with a request to relax the condition or conditions of bail or surety. Directions 5 to 7 concern the continuing jurisdiction of the court. Direction 5 permits the grant of temporary bail for a specified period to enable an accused to furnish her bail bond or sureties. Direction 6 permits the concerned court to take up the case suo motu where bail bonds are not furnished within one month of the grant of bail, and to consider whether the conditions require modification or relaxation. Direction 7 records that the insistence upon local surety is among the principal causes of delayed release, and suggests that courts may not impose that condition (see the directions here ). The scheme so constructed is cumulative. Information passes from the court to the jail, from the jail to the legal services authority within a fixed period of seven days, and from the authority back to the court in the form of a report upon the prisoner's means. The court then relaxes what the prisoner has been shown to be unable to satisfy. Each step is allocated to a named functionary, and no step requires any initiative from the prisoner. That allocation is deliberate: the persons affected are in custody, are frequently illiterate, and are by definition without the resources that would enable them to engage a counsel. Three Years On: The Failure to Implement the Directions The supreme court order was intended to provide an effective and enduring remedy to the plight of undertrial prisoners. Ironically, it seems that the monster of administrative inertia that the order sought to address has frustrated its implementation. As reported on October 17, 2026, an application filed in the Supreme court alleges that at least 236 undertrial prisoners across Uttar Pradesh remain in custody despite being granted bail, primarily because they are unable to arrange sureties or meet monetary conditions. The applicant relies on information obtained under Section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, from the Public Information Officers of district jails across Uttar Pradesh. The matter was first filed as a criminal public interest litigation in the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad. That Court declined to enter upon the merits, taking the view that the question of directions for the release of such prisoners was already engaging the Supreme Court. Thus, leading to the matter now being listed before a Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Prasanna B. Varale. The default disclosed by this material apart from flagging the non-compliance with the Supreme Court order underscores violations of statutory and constitutional imperatives. Sections 12 and 13 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 cast a positive obligation upon the legal services authorities to extend free legal services to persons in custody. The preparation of a report upon the socio-economic condition of a prisoner, followed by an application to the concerned court for modification of the conditions of her bail, falls squarely within the species of service that the statute contemplates. The failure to render that service is therefore a dereliction of a statutory trust, independently cognisable in writ jurisdiction, and is not dependent for its characterisation upon the 2023 order. The constitutional position has been settled for nearly five decades. In Moti Ram v. State of Madhya Pradesh , Krishna Iyer J. held that bail includes release upon one's own bond and condemned the insistence upon a surety from the accused's own district. He reasoned that a bail order clogged with conditions which the accused cannot conceivably meet amounts in substance to a refusal of bail. In Hussainara Khatoon v. Home Secretary, State of Bihar , Bhagwati J. held that an accused should in appropriate cases be released upon his personal bond without monetary obligation, and Pathak J., in a separate opinion, observed that the deprivation of liberty for the reason of poverty only is an incongruous element. In Rashidul Jafar v. State of Uttar Pradesh , a matter arising from Uttar Pradesh, the Supreme Court observed that the promise of equality in our Constitution would not be fulfilled if liberty were to be conditional upon an individual's resources. The High Court of Delhi traversed substantially the same ground in Ajay Verma v. Government of NCT of Delhi . Recording that it was extremely pained to note that 253 prisoners remained in jail disregarding the law laid down upon the subject. The Division Bench directed that every bail order be marked upon the file; that it be the responsibility of every judge issuing an order of bail to monitor its execution and enforcement; and that the prison authorities promptly bring to the notice of the trial court and of the Secretary of the legal services authority any instance of a prisoner unable to secure release despite an order of bail. Article 21 of the Indian Constitution mandates that no person should be deprived of personal liberty except according to procedure established by law that is fair, just and reasonable . The continued imprisonment of a person after the judicial grant of bail is attributable wholly to administrative inaction and offends the scheme of Article 21. Thus, the non-adherence of the 2023 orders is an unacceptable dereliction of statutory duty by the prison administration that fatally undermines the constitutional rights of the undertrial prisoners. The Administrative Production of Inaction While the current application focuses merely on the non-implementation of the 2023 order in the state of Uttar Pradesh, the situation in the rest of the country can be anyones guess. The question that the application poses is: why have the directions addressed to identified officers, and issued by the highest court, produced no measurable administrative response over three years? The explanation does not lie in any deficiency of information. The record-keeping disclosed in the application is, on the contrary, meticulous. The mere fact that 18 districts across U.P. were able to produce precise information of the undertrials; including their personal records, the alleged crime and the date of the bail order, demonstrates that the problem is not of record keeping. Thus, the information required to activate Direction 4 and mitigate the prisoners inability to arrange sureties or monetary conditions was present in every case. What was absent was an officer under a legally enforceable obligation to act upon that information. The prison administration was cognizant of both the remedial supreme court order and the beneficiaries who would be entitled to it, but the thrust of duty that linked the former to the later was totally absent. This lack of enforcement in the face of proper documentation points to a systemic flaw, rooted in the very character of the administrative apparatus. The structure of district administration inherited at independence was designed for the supervision of a subject population rather than for the delivery of services to a citizenry. An apparatus so designed is proficient at enumeration and structurally indifferent to outcome. It is designed to know where every person is; it has no institutional empathy to enquire what the fact of her being there is producing. The consequence is that the maintenance of an accurate record comes to be treated as the discharge of the underlying obligation. Till the entry against the prisoner's name in the column headed reason for non-release is complete, the continued detention of that prisoner is nobodys assigned concern. Its practical effect is to render the affected persons invisible for anyone minded to assist them. While this systemic invisibilisation of undertrial prisoners is an inevitable result of our administrative structure; it also points to a solution that would not be hard to implement. No statutory amendment, additional budgetary allocation, creation of new posts or technological advancement is required to realise the constitutional promise of liberty. The impediment is not an absence of legal authority, but an absence of will, together with the absence of any officer upon whom such duty has been imposed. Thus, the existing machinery being operated by the existing officers can produce the desired result, provided: (a) undertrial prisoners are viewed not as state subjects but as rights bearing citizens; and (b) there is a mechanism to hold the prison administration accountable for infringing on their rights. Conclusion The application examined in this article establishes three propositions. First, that the directions issued on January 31, 2023 have been undone by the very administrative latency they sought to correct. Second, that the resulting detentions are attributable to the omission of identified statutory functionaries acting in contravention of law, and therefore offend Article 21 of the Constitution of India. Third, that the remedy is administratively feasible and can be implemented within the current system without major administrative restructuring. The U.P. experience ultimately discloses that even if the design seems to be in order there is defect to hold people to account. . The 2023 order allocated functions with precision but attached no consequence to their non-performance. It is painful to note that an administrative culture that measures itself by the accuracy of its records remains stubbornly insensitive to the condition of the persons recorded and the adverse impact it generates on their liberty. Therefore, the reliefs now being sought before the Supreme Court deserve to be catalogued. The reliefs, among others, include a time-bound direction to the State Legal Services Authority, a requirement for submission of district-wise compliance affidavits and a continuing monitoring mechanism. These are aimed at curing that shortcomings and deficiencies. The festival of Diwali falls on November 8, 2026. Among others this festival of lights celebrates attempts to dispel darkness. Thousands of undertrial prisoners across the country remain in custody deprived of light of liberty despite subsisting court orders directing their release. Whether they will be home by Diwali depends on something as basic as an administrative apparatus willing to fulfil its most elementary obligation: to give effect to a judicial order restoring liberty.
Allahabad HC cites long trial, lets off offenders, SC slams misplaced sympathy
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran said it was a case of misplaced sympathy. The trial court had awarded fiveyear jail terms to the two, but the HC released them on probation. SC said the case was doomed from its inception insofar as justice delivery to the victim is concerned.
Watch: UP MLA Raja Bhaiyya worships 500+ guns on Dusshera
Raja Bhaiya conducted a Shastra Puja ceremony at his Benti Palace, displaying more than 500 weapons. His twin sons participated alongside block chiefs and hundreds of supporters carrying licensed weapons. This tradition has been observed since ancient times, emphasizing India's cultural heritage. Controversy arose earlier regarding alleged illegal weapons, which Raja Bhaiya's aide denied. Both sons have become increasingly involved in political activities since joining the Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik).
