[Judicial infrastructure] Allahabad HC slams officers of State Govt for laxity; seeks reply directly from Chief Secretary

The Allahabad High Court recently came down heavily upon the officers of State Government of Uttar Pradesh for absence of any concrete steps taken towards improvement in infrastructural facilities available in the Courts.

A seven judge bench comprising Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justices Pritinker Diwaker, Manoj Misra, Sunita Agarwal, Surya Prakash Kesarwani, Manoj Kumar Gupta and Anjani Kumar Mishra is currently seized of a petition pertaining to the infrastructure and other facilities at the high court (both benches) and the District Courts.

In the matter, on October 7, 2021, the court had expressed its dissatisfaction regarding the manner in which the officers of the State were taking up the issue. However, on November 4, 2022, the court noted that despite the same, nothing concrete had been done.

The full bench observed that instead of a proper Nodal Officer, Legal Remembrancer & Principal Secretary (Law), who is a Judicial Officer, had been appointed to coordinate between the High Court and the State over the issue at hand.

The Advocate General also agreed before the court that the co-ordinating officer who can coordinate with the Registrar General of the High Court and the Government over the issue should not be less than the Chief Secretary.

Regarding the officers' careless attitude towards the issue, the bench observed,

"We may record that number of issues have been pointed out to the senior bureaucrats of the State including the Chief Secretary in different meetings on the administrative side to which no satisfactory response has been received."

The bench highlighted that all these issues are well within the knowledge of the State bureaucrats, however, "no action has been taken despite seeking time and the matters have been kept pending as a result of which there is no improvement in infrastructural facilities available in the Courts, besides shortage of staff".

Therefore, making it clear that in the future, in the present petition, none else than the Chief Secretary of the State will file his own affidavit, the court adjourned the matter till November 15, 2022, for further hearing.

"We expect that whenever the matter is listed next, some senior officer(s) of the State will remain present in Court to assist the Advocate General," Court said while also directing that the response to various issues pointed out in the meetings on the administrative side and the previous orders passed in the present petition shall be submitted on or before the next date of hearing.

Case Title: In Re v. Zila Adhivakta Sangh Allahabad