A UP Town Without Some Courtrooms Since 2012: Allahabad High Court Directs UP Govt & HC To Construct & Start Same Within 6 Months

Noting that the question of opening of Courts at Lalganj Town in the Pratapgarh district has been lingering on, the Allahabad High Court recently directed the Uttar Pradesh Government and High Court administration to ensure that the Courts start functioning within 6 months.

The Bench of Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh also directed the respondents to ensure that construction work of the Court-rooms is completed within the time prescribed above and officers, including assisting staff, are posted so that the judicial work does not suffer.

During the course of the previous hearing, the Court had been apprised of the fact that one Court of Civil Judge, Junior Division is working, whereas Courts of Additional District and Sessions Judge and Civil Judge, Senior Division and Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate have not been opened.

In view of this submission, the Court had asked the Legal Remembrancer to appear before this Court on August 16, 2021, and the Registrar General was asked to file an affidavit with respect to infrastructures required for opening of the said Courts. 

Now, on August 16, appearing before the Court, the Legal Remembrancer submitted that he would immediately sanction an amount of Rs. 5 Crores for construction of the remaining two Court-rooms i.e. Additional District and Sessions Judge and of Civil Judge (Senior Division)/Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Lalganj.

It was also informed that the notification for the creation of the Court of Additional District and Sessions Judge, Lalganj, was in process and the same shall be issued shortly.

On the other hand, the counsel appearing for the High Court, informed that the revised estimate for Rs.7.2 Crores was sent for construction of three Court-rooms in the year 2013 and, out of which, one Court-room had been constructed and now, two Court-rooms are still to be constructed.

In this backdrop, the Court directed that an amount of Rs. 5 Crores be released by the State Government at once, and from that amount, the construction work shall be started and the notification for creation of one Court of Additional District and Sessions Judge also be issued without any further delay.

The matter has now been listed for further hearing after the expiry of 6 months.

Case title - Shahjad Ali Ansari v. State Of U.P. Thru. Prin. Secy. Law & Others

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