. NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court was extremely disappointed on Monday to find that a man — arrested as a 28-year-old in Nov 1983 for shooting dead a person — waited for more than four decades in the Allahabad high court for a decision on his appeal against conviction and a life term awarded by a trial court.A visibly disturbed bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and AS Chandurkar wondered as to what innovative measures could be taken to free the clogged wheels of justice in the Allahabad HC, where long and heavy pendency of pleas has constantly fuelled the filing of appeals in SC for a direction to the HC for expeditious hearing.On learning that the man was in custody for just three months and had been on bail for nearly 43 years, the bench continued his bail during the pendency of his appeal against the high court judgment, which had a gestation period of 41 years.Justice Mishra asked senior advocate Siddharth Dave and advocate Zoheb Hossain as to what could be done to expedite hearings in the HC to unclog the justice delivery system. Dave said one way was to dismiss all prosecution appeals pending for three decades.The bench disagreed and said the basics of adjudication do not permit dismissal just because of long pendency, and no one knows what harm it would cause to public interest if prosecution appeals were dismissed without giving them an opportunity to address the court.In the case in hand, a 28-year-old Vijay Singh was convicted for murder in Dec 1985 by a sessions court in Kanpur, two years after he shot dead his brother. He immediately appealed against the trial court verdict before HC, which, in a 20-page judgment on Feb 9 this year, dismissed his appeal.Singh’s appeal stated, “He is now 72 years old. For over four decades, through youth, middle age, and now old age, he has lived under the shadow of that conviction…His criminal appeal languished before the HC for 40 years before being finally heard and dismissed almost summarily.”“This Special Leave Petition is, in the truest sense, his last recourse and, as will be demonstrated, the conviction itself rests on deeply infirm foundations which have been completely overlooked by the high court,” Vijay Singh said.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosInternet Cut, Drones Deployed As Jaipur Widens Key Road Amid Encroachment Row | WatchTMC Rift Deepens As Mahua Targets Yusuf Pathan After MPs Back NDA Alignment | WatchINDIA Bloc Meet: Alliance Partners Challenge Congress’ Leadership & ‘Cross Comments’ During PollsKakoli Ghosh Hits Out At TMC Over Bengal’s Decline, Claims 20 MPs Support Separate TMC FactionPraggnanandhaa Surprised By CM Vijay’s Chess Skills During Felicitation Ceremony | WatchDelhi Hotel Fire Tragedy: Jai Mishra Surrenders In Court, Lovekesh Bajaj Gets 2-Day Police Remand20 TMC MPs Write To Speaker, Express Desire To Support BJP-Led NDA | WatchKunal Ghosh Questions Reports Of 20 TMC MPs Backing NDA, Says Voters Won’t ApproveSambit Patra Compares Akhilesh’s Future To Mamata’s, Mocks INDIA BlocGovt Launches 2 Major Schemes To Boost Road Accident Rescue Efforts123PhotostoriesThere are only 4 American states that begin with the letter ‘W’, and they hide some of the world’s most iconic wondersExclusive – Avinash Mishra opens up on Khatron Ke Khiladi 15, his training and Eisha Singh’s support; says ‘She has confidence in me; it’s been very encouraging and heartening’People will instantly take you more seriously when you start doing these 10 things10 subtle signs someone may be jealous of you, as per psychologyWant your kids to spend less time on screens? Try these 5 simple parenting shifts that actually workWhat happens to your body when muscle mass starts declining after 35?Cricketer Devdutt Padikkal’s crores-worth residence in Bangalore is a luxurious retreat reflecting his cricketing success and hard workLittle Indias around the world” Countries with the largest Indian diasporasJennifer Winget’s style on TV: How every character she played had its own fashion languageFrom Tigers to Jaguars: 10 iconic safari adventures around the world123Hot PicksMalviya Nagar Hotel FireEmiliano MartínezUKSSSC Patwari Admit CardIran AttackShubman GillDianna Russini ScandalDU Professor MurderNFL Trade RumorOJEE Result 2026Top TrendingStock Market TodayStock market crashJaipur internet banIndia vs Afghanistan ScoreDriving Licence ValidityDelhi ITI admission 2026Sukhendu Sekhar Roy ResignationGurgaon Double MurderKerala HSCAP resultDU Professor Murder
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court was extremely disappointed on Monday to find that a man — arrested as a 28-year-old in Nov 1983 for shooting dead a person — waited for more than four decades in the Allahabad high court for a decision on his appeal against conviction and a life term awarded by a trial court.A visibly disturbed bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and AS Chandurkar wondered as to what innovative measures could be taken to free the clogged wheels of justice in the Allahabad HC, where long and heavy pendency of pleas has constantly fuelled the filing of appeals in SC for a direction to the HC for expeditious hearing.On learning that the man was in custody for just three months and had been on bail for nearly 43 years, the bench continued his bail during the pendency of his appeal against the high court judgment, which had a gestation period of 41 years.Justice Mishra asked senior advocate Siddharth Dave and advocate Zoheb Hossain as to what could be done to expedite hearings in the HC to unclog the justice delivery system. Dave said one way was to dismiss all prosecution appeals pending for three decades.The bench disagreed and said the basics of adjudication do not permit dismissal just because of long pendency, and no one knows what harm it would cause to public interest if prosecution appeals were dismissed without giving them an opportunity to address the court.In the case in hand, a 28-year-old Vijay Singh was convicted for murder in Dec 1985 by a sessions court in Kanpur, two years after he shot dead his brother. He immediately appealed against the trial court verdict before HC, which, in a 20-page judgment on Feb 9 this year, dismissed his appeal.Singh’s appeal stated, “He is now 72 years old. For over four decades, through youth, middle age, and now old age, he has lived under the shadow of that conviction…His criminal appeal languished before the HC for 40 years before being finally heard and dismissed almost summarily.”“This Special Leave Petition is, in the truest sense, his last recourse and, as will be demonstrated, the conviction itself rests on deeply infirm foundations which have been completely overlooked by the high court,” Vijay Singh said.
