Allahabad High Court Critiques Delays in Criminal Justice System

High Court's Strong Remarks on Justice Delays

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has expressed serious concerns regarding the excessive delays in the country's criminal justice system. Justice Rajeev Bharti stated that the culture of 'date after date' should not define our judicial framework. This comment was made during the hearing of a kidnapping case from Bahraich that dates back nearly 25 years.

The court emphasized that prolonging any criminal case for over two decades directly violates the guarantee of a speedy and fair trial as enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution.

This case is linked to an FIR filed in 2001 at the Payagpur police station in Bahraich. During the proceedings, it was revealed that the alleged victim had willingly left with the accused, Ajay Kumar. The couple later married and has been living happily together for several years, now with three children. The state government failed to effectively counter these facts.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the lower court's handling of the case, the High Court noted that there had been no substantial progress in the hearings for many years. The court recognized that such prolonged delays have rendered the legal proceedings merely a formality. It stressed that justice cannot be indefinitely postponed, as this undermines the dignity of the judicial system and the rights of citizens.

Justice Rajeev Bharti granted anticipatory bail to Ajay Kumar, also known as Chingi, and Ram Chandra, providing them relief. The court ordered both accused to surrender before the trial court within two weeks, after which they would be released on anticipatory bail under certain conditions. However, the High Court clarified that the remarks made in this order would not influence the lower court's decision regarding the merits of the case.