Allahabad HC Finds Prima Facie Police Involvement in Looting of Kanpur Hotel, Asks City Police Commissioner to Appear

The Allahabad High Court recently found prima facie involvement of police personnel in the looting of a Kanpur hotel, noting that they were seen at the spot while the property was being ransacked, and questioned the investigating officer's handling of the case.

Court directed the Commissioner of Police, Kanpur Nagar, to appear in person on November 26, 2026. 

"Since the matter requires urgent attention at the highest level of the police authorities, the Commissioner of Police, Kanpur Nagar, shall appear in person on the next date of listing along with a personal affidavit," ordered the division bench of Justices Ajay Bhanot and Divesh Chandra Samant.

Court was hearing a criminal miscellaneous writ petition filed by Preeti Bajpai concerning the alleged looting of Hotel Negi Grand. On October 24, court permitted her to implead Kapil Dev Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kanpur Nagar, as a respondent after a supplementary affidavit alleged his direct involvement in the incident.

During the hearing, court examined an extract from the case diary dated April 16, 2026, which recorded details of the alleged demolition and looting of the hotel, including the presence of police personnel at the site.

According to the case diary, CCTV footage and videos recorded by people present at the spot showed a JCB machine demolishing a wall of the hotel, following which a large crowd gathered there. The footage allegedly showed Vivek Gupta, Ravikant Bajpai, Brijesh Singh and Yogesh Singh entering the hotel premises along with their associates after the wall was demolished.

The case diary further recorded that the hotel's windows, doors, cupboards, television sets, CCTV cameras and digital video recorders (DVRs) were damaged, while several articles were allegedly taken away from the premises.

It also stated that the persons named in the case diary were allegedly seen taking possession of the hotel's lawn after demolishing its boundary wall and carrying away articles from the property.

Significantly, the case diary recorded that police personnel were also seen moving around the spot during the incident, which allegedly continued from around 9 am.

After examining these materials, the high court found the affidavit filed on behalf of the investigating officer unsatisfactory, observing that it reflected serious deficiencies in the investigation.

"The affidavit filed on behalf of the investigating officer is not satisfactory and shows the deficient nature of investigation," court observed.

It further held that the prima facie involvement of senior police personnel warranted direct supervision of the investigation by the district's top police official.

"In view of the prima facie involvement of senior police personnel in the incident, the investigation warrants direct supervision by the highest police official of the district," the bench said.

Accordingly, court directed the Commissioner of Police, Kanpur Nagar, to appear personally on the next date of hearing. It also directed that a copy of the order be forwarded to the Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, through the government advocate.

Case: Preeti Bajpai v. State of Uttar Pradesh and Others

Bench: Justices Ajay Bhanot and Divesh Chandra Samant

Order dated: October 24, 2026