Supreme Court Seeks Report From Allahabad High Court On Status Of Judgment Reserved In Criminal Appeal Since August 2022

On Monday, the Supreme Court directed the Registrar of the Allahabad High Court to forthwith file a report on status of a criminal appeal filed in 2014 that has been awaiting pronouncement by the High Court since August 2022.

The bench of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah said that,“The Registrar of the Allahabad High Court is directed to forthwith send a report to this Court about the proceedings of 04.08.2022 and whether any judgment in appeal has since been pronounced or not.”

The Court was hearing the special leave petition, filed through AOR R.H.A. Sikander, to seek bail for the petitioner who was sentenced to life imprisonment in a 2005 murder case by the District Court.

The counsel for the petitioner argues that the conviction was challenged in 2014 through an appeal before the Allahabad High Court.

Even after nine years, it is still pending for the pronouncement of judgment , which was reserved by the High Court on August 4, 2022,he submitted. Since judgment has been reserved, the application seeking bail is not being considered.

The court noted that the judgment was reserved on the said date, “but the order of 04.08.2022 has neither been uploaded online nor has been made available to the petitioner.”

It further noted that petitioner has already “completed 16 years 9 months and 18 days in actual custody”.

While passing the order to report on the status of the criminal appeal it directed that, “the order be transmitted today itself to the Registrar of the Allahabad High Court”.

The matter is posted to May 15 for further consideration.

Case Title: Umesh Rai@Gora Rai v. UOI

Counsel for petitioner: AOR R.H.A Sikander,Sameer Rai,Prateek Gupta

 Click here to read the order