Allahabad High Court questions police conduct over alleged lawyers' vandalism in Lucknow.

The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday questioned the conduct of police officers after viewing video footage allegedly showing a large group of persons dressed as lawyers entering a disputed property, vandalising it and driving away staff and labourers, while police personnel remained present at the spot without taking effective action.

Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL), a bench of Justices Rajan Roy and Manjive Shukla also directed that the Bar Council of India (BCI) and the Uttar Pradesh Bar Council be impleaded as parties in the proceedings.

The PIL was filed over an incident in which, according to the pleadings, persons wearing lawyers' attire entered a premises used for cricket net practice and marriage functions, allegedly abused those present, assaulted workers, threw bricks and damaged CCTV cameras. Court noted that an FIR had already been lodged in connection with the incident and that it had perused the complaint.

The State placed a status report before the court, which referred to the involvement of several lawyers. The bench remarked that, when read alongside another similar matter taken up on the same day, the allegations painted "a disturbing scenario".

What did the video footage show?

Court examined the video footage contained in a pen drive filed with the petition and recorded that it showed "a disturbing picture".

According to the bench, the footage depicted several lawyers barging into the premises, shooing away staff and labourers and moving around freely inside the property in what was alleged to be an attempt to take over the disputed premises.

Court also recorded submissions made before it that groups of lawyers acting as vigilantes promise to resolve property disputes through extra-legal means, thereby "putting not only the legal profession to disrepute but also circumventing the process of law and compromising it."

Why did the high court question the police?

A significant part of the hearing focused on the role of the police officers who were visible in the video.

The bench noted that although the number of persons wearing lawyers' attire was much larger, the footage showed a substantial number of police personnel present throughout the incident. It questioned why they remained "mute spectators" while the alleged offences were taking place.

The judges asked who those officers were, how long the incident continued, why additional force was not effectively deployed and why the alleged trespassers were not apprehended despite allegedly remaining inside the premises for nearly four hours. They also sought an explanation regarding the action taken by police personnel during that period.

When informed that additional force had been called, Court noted that there was no satisfactory explanation as to why the alleged offenders had not been arrested.

Making a strong observation, the bench said the police personnel appeared to be treating the alleged transgressors "in quite a friendly manner" and added that "the possibility of the local police personnel having facilitated the said illegalities cannot be ruled out".

The high court directed the Commissioner of Police, Lucknow, to join the next hearing through video conferencing after conducting an inquiry into why appropriate action was not taken despite the presence of police officers at the spot. It also summoned the Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), the DCP and the ACP concerned to appear before it on the next date of hearing. The court further ordered that the video footage be preserved in sealed cover and directed the Police Commissioner to ensure security for the petitioner who had brought the issue before the court.

Case Title: Saksham Singh (Advocate) vs. State of UP and 3 others

Order date: July 22, 2026

Bench: Justices Rajan Roy and Manjive Shukla

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