SC lambasts Yogi govt, says 'nobody is above the law'

NT Correspondent

Lucknow: The Supreme Court on Tuesday severely criticised the Uttar Pradesh government for failing to comply with its orders, according to a media report.

The court re primanded the government officials, stating that they had "scant respect" for court orders, particularly highlighting the significant delay in deciding on remission for convicts serving life imprisonment.

Asserting that nobody is above the law, the bench, led by Justice Surya Kant and including Justice Dipankar Datta, responded to the state government's concerns about binding the governor to a courtmandated deadline.

The bench emphasized that its directive, issued in May 2022, required the state's recommendations on remission pleas to be decided within three months, adding that individuals have been languishing in prison for nearly three decades.

Expressing their frustration, the court directed the principal secretary of the state home department to appear in court on August 29 if the pending applications are not disposed of within four weeks.

The court expressed its anger over the UP government's failure to act on its May 2022 order, which called for a final decision on the remission pleas within three months. The court had acknowledged in its order that the petitioners, who were imprisoned in Bareilly's Central Jail, had already completed more than 14 years of their actual sentence without any remission.

Highlighting the state's remission policy and various directives from the apex court, the bench reiterated that the state government is obligated to dispose of remission pleas within three months of eligibility.

Expressing disappointment with the authorities' lack of respect for court orders, the bench warned of taking stringent measures.

It commented on the disrespect displayed by the state's officers towards court orders. Among the 42 convicts who approached the Supreme Court, several were released or acquitted by the Allahabad High Court.