Supreme Court orders disciplinary action against Mau police chiefs for trial delays

A two-judge bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R Mahadevan expressed shock at the Uttar Pradesh Police’s failure to produce prosecution witnesses in a criminal trial stemming from a 2017 kidnapping of a 14-year-old boy whose whereabouts remain unknown. Despite charges being framed against six accused in March 2023, only two of the 54 listed witnesses have been examined. Calling the police’s conduct a "casual approach," the Supreme Court ordered the state government to start departmental proceedings against every superintendent of police who has served in Mau district since 2023, to be completed within two weeks.

The court also required an affidavit, personally signed by the chief secretary, confirming the actions taken, to be submitted at the next hearing scheduled for November 16. The case was part of a petition challenging a May 2025 Allahabad High Court order that had dismissed a request to transfer the investigation to the CBI.