‘Order can’t be without reasoning': Supreme Court sets aside Allahabad HC ruling

The Supreme Court has overturned an Allahabad High Court order after finding that two pages, eight paragraphs and 15 sentences did not explain why six people should face a criminal trial.

A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu said the high court had failed to meet the basic standard of a reasoned and speaking judicial order. The judges also faulted it for not examining the evidence against people who had not appeared as accused in the police chargesheet but were later brought into the case through an application under Section 319 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The Supreme Court acknowledged that high court judges carry a heavy workload and that brief orders can sometimes be prudent. But it said brevity cannot replace reasoning. “A laconic order (such as the impugned order) can neither be appreciated nor countenanced,” the bench held, stressing that every order must meet the minimum standard expected of a high court judge, particularly in a criminal appeal.

The case originated with an FIR in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, filed under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Six people were initially named, but police left them out of the chargesheet filed on Oct. 3, 2022.

After the trial began, the complainant sought their summons under Section 319. A special court under the SC/ST Act approved the application on June 11, 2025. The accused challenged that decision, but an Allahabad High Court single judge dismissed their appeal on Aug. 11, 2025. The Supreme Court has now set that ruling aside, emphasizing that reasons are an essential part of deciding whether someone should be subjected to a criminal trial.

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A laconic order (such as the impugned order) can neither be appreciated nor countenanced.