Supreme Court again seeks expeditious hearing of pending criminal writ, expects decision by August-end

New Delhi [India], June 29 (ANI): More than eight months after the Supreme Court first directed the Allahabad High Court to expeditiously hear a criminal writ petition filed by Gyan Chandra Agarwal, the matter continues to remain pending, prompting the apex court to once again press for its early disposal.
The proceedings arise out of Criminal Miscellaneous Writ Petition No. 18268 of 2022, in which Gyan Chandra Agarwal challenged an FIR registered at Hari Parvat Police Station, Agra, as well as orders directing further investigation.
The Allahabad High Court, by an interim order dated November 29, 2022, stayed further investigation in the case. That interim protection continues to remain in force.
On October 14, 2025, the Supreme Court disposed of a Special Leave Petition filed by M/s Pinkcity Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. after taking note of the petitioner's submission that repeated attempts to get the interim stay vacated had failed and that the prolonged delay created a real possibility of evidence disappearing.
While disposing of the petition without issuing notice to the respondents, the apex court requested the roster Bench of the Allahabad High Court to hear and decide the writ petition at the earliest, preferably by the end of 2025.
However, with no final decision forthcoming, M/s Pinkcity Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. moved a miscellaneous application seeking modification of the Supreme Court's earlier order.
Hearing the application on May 29, 2026, a Bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma noted that despite its earlier request, the writ petition had not yet been decided. The Court observed that while High Courts may miss timelines for a variety of reasons, "there being an order of this Court, some urgency was expected."
The Bench further noted that the Allahabad High Court was on summer vacation and would resume functioning on July 1, 2026, by which time half the year would have elapsed. It granted liberty to the applicant to once again place the Supreme Court's October 14, 2025 order before the roster Bench of the High Court and expressed hope and trust that the High Court would give due deference to the order and make a sincere endeavour, subject to its convenience, to finally decide the writ petition as early as possible, but positively by the end of August 2026.
The prolonged pendency has also drawn attention because Gyan Chandra Agarwal has figured in other investigations. The Enforcement Directorate recently conducted searches in connection with an alleged money laundering probe linked to real estate transactions, while Rajasthan Police are also investigating related matters.
Judicial proceedings involving Agarwal are stated to be pending in Rajasthan. These proceedings are independent of the Allahabad High Court writ petition. The allegations against Agarwal remain the subject of ongoing investigations and judicial proceedings and have not been finally adjudicated by any court.
The Allahabad High Court's own orders also indicate that the progress of the writ petition has been affected by repeated adjournments. In an order dated January 29, 2026, a Division Bench recorded that the matter had already been expedited by the Supreme Court. While considering another request for adjournment on behalf of the petitioner, the Bench observed, "It appears from the order-sheet that the petitioner is not cooperating in the hearing of the writ petition."
The Bench further remarked, "Due to the conduct of the petitioner, the Court is finding difficulty to act in light of the request of the Supreme Court."
Instead of dismissing the writ petition, the High Court directed that the matter be placed before another Bench after obtaining a nomination from the Chief Justice.
Subsequent order sheets show that the case was listed before different Benches before eventually being assigned to a Bench comprising Justices Siddharth and Vivek Saran. The latest listing history records entries such as "Date Fixed" followed by "Not Before Me", indicating that the writ petition is yet to reach final adjudication.
As matters stand, the writ petition remains pending, and the interim stay granted in November 2022 continues to operate. Consequently, further investigation in the FIR remains stayed even as the Supreme Court has, for the second time, urged the Allahabad High Court to decide the matter expeditiously and expressed its expectation that the writ petition be finally disposed of by the end of August 2026. (ANI)