Lucknow: The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has expressed strong displeasure over the Uttar Pradesh government’s slow progress in expanding the state’s judicial infrastructure. The court termed the affidavits submitted regarding the creation of nearly 900 new courts and related posts as unsatisfactory, while also expressing hope that the state would now take concrete steps.
Fixing December 11 as the next hearing date, the bench directed the Additional Chief Secretary or Secretary of the Finance Department, along with the Principal Secretary, Law (LR), to appear via video conferencing. They have been asked to provide a satisfactory explanation on the steps taken so far and present the relevant records.
The division bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Rajeev Bharti passed the order while hearing a suo motu public interest petition. Counsel for the High Court administration clarified that contrary to the Law Department’s claim, a response to the state government’s April 17 letter had indeed been sent on May 9. The court has now directed that the related documents be placed on record through an affidavit.
On behalf of the state government, it was submitted that a high-level committee had decided to approve 2,693 posts/courts in the first phase, out of which 900 were to be cleared in the current financial year. A budget of around ₹72 crore has already been approved.
However, the court expressed severe dissatisfaction, noting that no courts or posts had actually been created. Only the financial burden had been approved ‘in principle’, and that too without attaching any documentation. The court also highlighted that with just five months left in the financial year, the government must act urgently and decisively.
900 Judicial Posts Proposed Under First-Year Plan
According to the Finance Department’s advisory, 900 courts/equivalent posts are to be created in the first year as part of the overall target of 9,149 courts/posts, mandated under the Supreme Court’s directions in the Imtiyaz Ahmad case. The proposed posts include:
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225 posts of HJS
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375 posts of Civil Judge (Senior Division)
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300 posts of Civil Judge (Junior Division)
The Finance Department also noted that with only five months remaining in the fiscal year, the concerned administrative department must ensure adequate funds under the allocated budget head.
High Court Seeks Clarity From Central Consumer Authority
In a related hearing, the Lucknow Bench questioned the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on why an inquiry initiated in 2023 had not progressed. The court issued a notice directing the authority to file a reply within four weeks.
The order came during the hearing of a PIL filed by advocate Motilal Yadav concerning promotional endorsements of gutkha companies. The petition names several gutkha companies along with cricketers Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag, Chris Gayle, and actors Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Saif Ali Khan, and Ranveer Singh.
The petitioner argued that many of these celebrities are Padma awardees and their endorsements send a wrong message to society while violating consumer protection laws.
The court, while not finding the prayer clauses fit for consideration, took note of the pending inquiry and sought accountability from the CCPA.
