The Allahabad High Court has issued a stern two-week ultimatum to several district judges in Uttar Pradesh, expressing strong dissatisfaction over persistent delays in responding to directives regarding the installation of crucial fire-fighting equipment in court premises. The bench cautioned that it would be "compelled to pass stringent orders" against the officials if they fail to comply.
Court's Strong Displeasure Over Inaction
A division bench comprising Justices Rajan Roy and Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) concerning fire safety in courts. The judges noted with displeasure that despite repeated communications from the High Court and the State Government, district judges in multiple districts had not submitted the required proposals or responses.
The court was informed that funds had been proposed for installing fire-safety equipment in eight districts: Mahoba, Chandauli, Auraiya, Chitrakoot, Banda, Etawah, Maharajganj, and Deoria. However, certain queries from the State Government sent to the concerned district judges via the registrar general on January 2, 2026, remained unanswered.
Failure to Place Documents on Record
The bench pointed out a significant procedural lapse, observing that more than a month had passed since its previous order, yet the relevant documents and pleadings had not been placed on the court's record. "We fail to understand as to why these documents and pleadings corresponding to the same have not been brought on record although more than a month has passed since passing of the last order," the court remarked.
In addition to the eight districts, the court also took note of a lack of response from district judges in seven other districts: Jhansi, Hamirpur, Hapur, Shamli, Firozabad, Kushinagar, and Siddharthnagar.
Final Warning and Upcoming Hearing
The court has now directed the district judges of the eight specified districts to respond to the government's queries within two weeks. While the bench refrained from issuing immediate harsh orders on the request of the High Court's counsel, it made its position unequivocally clear.
"Only on the request of the learned counsel for the High Court, we are not passing any harsh order against the concerned District Judges, however, if they do not respond within the next two weeks, we will be compelled to pass stringent orders against them," the court's order stated.
This development follows a previous hearing on December 4, 2025, before a bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Indrajeet Shukla. During that hearing, the state government had assured the court that funds would be allocated for the eight districts within 15-20 days, while proposals from the remaining seven districts were still awaited.
The case has been listed for its next hearing on January 27, 2026, by which time the court expects full compliance with its directives.
