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Allahabad High Court

DINESH CHANDRA @ DINESH KUMAR SARSWATversusKOMAL SINGH AND 5 OTHERS

Decided

Holding

The High Court held that it cannot direct the subordinate civil court to expedite the suit and dismissed the writ petition.

Summary

The petitioner, Dinesh Chandra Sarswat, filed a writ petition under Article 227 seeking a direction to the Civil Judge (Senior Division) of Hathras to decide his original suit (No. 197 of 2006) on a day‑to‑day basis. The petition relied on the urgency of the matter and requested the High Court to intervene for expeditious disposal. The Court examined the recent Supreme Court decision in High Court Bar Association vs State of Uttar Pradesh (2024) which cautioned constitutional courts against imposing time‑bound schedules on lower courts except in exceptional circumstances. It also relied on the Division Bench judgment in Ali Shad Usmani vs Ali Isteba (2015) which refused to direct a subordinate court for speedy hearing, emphasizing judicial discretion and the risk of overburdening courts. Applying these precedents, the High Court concluded that it could not issue a direction to the lower court to expedite the suit. Consequently, the petition was dismissed, with a suggestion that the petitioner may move an application before the trial court itself. The order was communicated to the concerned court within 48 hours.

Issues considered

  • Whether a High Court can, under Article 227, direct a subordinate civil court to decide a pending suit on a day‑to‑day basis for expeditious disposal.
  • Whether such a direction is permissible in light of the Supreme Court’s guidelines restricting time‑bound schedules for lower courts.

Subjects

  • Article 227
  • writ petition
  • expeditious disposal
  • judicial discretion
  • civil suit
  • high court direction
  • precedent

Judgment

         HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT ALLAHABAD
            MATTERS UNDER ARTICLE 227 No. - 12282 of 2026

Dinesh Chandra @ Dinesh Kumar Sarswat
                                                                     .....Petitioner(s)
                                       Versus

Komal Singh And 5 Others
                                                                   .....Respondent(s)

Counsel for Petitioner(s)           : Manish Kumar Prajapati, Satyendra
                                      Singh, Shyam Kumar Yadav
Counsel for Respondent(s)           :

Court No. - 9
                HON'BLE ROHIT RANJAN AGARWAL, J.

1. This writ petition has been filed with the following prayer:-

     "It is, therefore, most respectfully prayed that this Hon'ble court may
     graciously be pleased to issue appropriate direction to the learned Civil
     Judge (Senior Division) Hathras to decide the Original Suit No. 197 of
     2006, Dinesh Saraswat vs Komal Singh and Others, on day today basis,
     for the ends and interests of justice during the pendency of instant petition
     before this Hon'ble Court or pass such other order which may earlier or
     pass such other order to the ad interim nature to which the Hon'ble Court
     may deemed fit and proper under the facts and circumstances of the
     present case."

2. Recently, the Constitution Bench of Hon'ble Supreme Court in High
Court Bar Association, Allahabad vs. State of Uttar Pradesh and
others (2024) 6 SCC 267 has held that Constitutional Courts should
refrain from fixing a time-bound schedule for the disposal of cases
pending before any other courts. The Court further held that issue of
prioritising the disposal of cases should be best left to the decision of the
courts concerned where the cases are pending. Relevant para 47.3 of the
said judgment is extracted hereasunder :-

     "Constitutional courts, in the ordinary course, should refrain from fixing
     a time-bound schedule for the disposal of cases pending before any other
     courts. Constitutional courts may issue directions for the time-bound
     disposal of cases only in exceptional circumstances. The issue of
                                                                 A227 No. 12282 of 2026
                                    2


     prioritising the disposal of cases should be best left to the decision of the
     courts concerned where the cases are pending;"

3. The Division Bench of this Court in Ali Shad Usmani vs. Ali Isteba,
2015 (2) ADJ 250 (DB) has held that no direction can be issued to the
sub-ordinate courts for deciding the suit within stipulated period. Relevant
portion of the judgment is extracted hereasunder:-

     "We are not inclined to issue a direction for the expeditious hearing of a
     Civil Suit which is pending before the Civil Judge (Junior Division),
     District-Azamgarh. It would be most inappropriate to Court to entertain a
     writ petition under Article 226 and/or under Article 227 of the
     Constitution simply for the purpose of expediting the hearing of a suit.
     Such orders, if granted, place a class of litigants, who move the court in a
     separate and preferential category whereas other cases which may be of
     similar or greater antiquity and urgency are left to be decided in the
     normal channel. Hence, any such direction may be issued with the
     greatest care and circumspection by the High Court otherwise the Civil
     Courts will be overburdened only with requests for expeditious disposal
     of suits, which have been expedited by the High Court. Most of the
     litigants cannot afford the expense of moving the High court and would
     not, therefore, be in a position to have the benefit of such an order.

     Ultimately, it must be left to the judicious exercise of discretion of the
     concerned Court to determine whether a ground for urgency has been
     made out. We emphasize that there may be other cases such as involving
     senior citizens, those who are differently abled or people suffering from a
     particular disablilty socio-economic or otherwise which may prime cause
     of urgent disposal. It is for the learned Trial Judge in each case to apply
     his or her mind and decide whether the hearing of the suit to be
     expedited.

     For these reasons, we are not inclined to entertain the petition. The
     petition is, accordingly, dismissed. There shall be no order as to cost."

4. In view of above, this Court declines to direct the court below to
expedite the proceedings pending before it.
                                                                                            A227 No. 12282 of 2026
                                                                   3


                                    5. The petitioner may, however, move an application for expeditious
                                    disposal of Original Suit No. 197 of 2006 before the court concerned who
                                    will decide the same on the basis of pendency of cases before it and also
                                    keeping in mind the dictum of Hon’ble Apex Court.

                                    6. With the aforesaid direction, the writ petition stands disposed of.

                                    7. The Registrar (Compliance) is directed to communicate this order to
                                    the court concerned within 48 hours.



                                                                                    (Rohit Ranjan Agarwal,J.)
                                    September 9, 2026
                                    A. V. Singh




Digitally signed by :-
AJAY VIKRAM SINGH
High Court of Judicature at Allahabad


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