'Over 1.8L criminal appeals pending in Allahabad HC'

New Delhi: Over 1.8 lakh criminal appeals are pending adjudication in the Allahabad High Court, presently having 93 judges against the sanctioned strength of 160, which also disposed 31,044 such pleas since 2000, the Supreme Court has been told.

The information regarding the huge numbers of pendency and the steps taken to deal with them have been shared by the Uttar Pradesh government and the Allahabad High Court registry with a bench headed by Justice S K Kaul in pursuance of an earlier order asking them to help it in laying down broad parameters for grant of bail by the high court itself to the convicts whose appeals are pending for longer periods.

While giving a slew of suggestions, they gave year-wise details of filing and pendency of criminal appeals and said, as of August 2021, there are approximately 1,83,000 Criminal Appeals pending both at Lucknow Bench and Allahabad High Court.

As of August 2021, there are 7,214 convicts in various jails across the State of Uttar Pradesh who have already undergone more than 10 years of their conviction and their Criminal Appeals are pending before the Hon'ble High Court.

Listing out measures to deal with the pendency of cases, they said 31,044 criminal appeals have been disposed of since 2000. Circulars and guidelines have been issued and committees have been formed by the High Court from time to time for early disposal of criminal appeals, they said.

As per the roster with effect from 14.07.2014, issued by the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court, priority is given to hearing to those criminal appeals where the accused has undergone more than half sentence in view of Section 436A Cr.P.C. and the accused is in jail; hearing to matters relating to murder, rape, dacoity and kidnapping; hearing to those cases wherein the proceedings of the trial is stayed or record has been summoned; and hearing to those cases wherein mediation is successful, they said. The 102-page document said that there are four Committees working at the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad.

A Disposal Review Committee has been constituted to monitor the institution and disposal of old cases on priority basis and to make suggestions for future course of action in view of the Letter dated June 11, 2018 of the CJI, they said.

An Arrears Committee has been constituted to make suggestions for expeditious disposal of cases pending in the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, they said, adding a Monitoring Committee has been constituted to fast-track hearing and disposal of cases under Prevention of Corruption Act, 1968.