Prayagraj , The Allahabad Excessive Court docket has really helpful that the Division of Personnel and Coaching evolve a doctrine of “superior duty” to carry senior officers criminally accountable for failing to forestall or punish acts of fee or omission by their subordinates.
It stated unchecked discretion in civil service undermines the rule of regulation and accountability.
The courtroom made the commentary whereas taking exception to the conduct of senior IAS officer Sanjay Prasad, who’s Further Chief Secretary , Uttar Pradesh, and referred the matter to the DoPT for evaluation of his suitability for future assignments by the Appointments Committee of the Cupboard.
Justice Vinod Diwakar took exception to Prasad’s “deliberate and calculated” try and undermine the authority of the courtroom.
The courtroom was listening to a habeas corpus petition filed by Megha Raikwar of Jhansi. The petitioner sought a path to the state authorities to get well her 15-year-old daughter from the unlawful custody of the respondent within the case.
The courtroom was apprised that an FIR had been lodged and the police had filed a chargesheet based mostly totally on the statements of the accused. Nonetheless, petitioner alleged that the chargesheet was filed with out arraying the “actual” accused.
Earlier, the bench had discovered that the chargesheet was not filed in conformity with the excessive courtroom’s instructions within the case ‘Subhash Chandra & Others vs State of UP’, the place it had issued exhaustive instructions to make sure that prison investigations are truthful, scientific and legally sustainable.
On February 20, 2026, the Residence Division filed an affidavit stating that the state authorities proposed to problem the excessive courtroom’s judgment within the Subhash Chandra case earlier than the Supreme Court docket.
It requested the courtroom to chorus from passing any additional order regarding the implementation or enforcement of its instructions issued within the case till the Supreme Court docket decides on the proposed Particular Go away Petition of the state authorities.
The courtroom deferred the matter and awaited data concerning the standing of the proposed SLP however regardless of a lapse of greater than three months since February and multiple 12 months for the reason that judgment within the Subhash Chandra case, no SLP was filed.
The bench noticed that the proposed SLP was relied upon by the ACS merely as a justification to postpone scrutiny of the continued non-compliance of the instructions, fairly than as a bona fide and diligent effort to acquire an authoritative dedication from the Supreme Court docket on the earliest.
In its order on Wednesday, the excessive courtroom stated that “unbridled” and “unchecked” discretion hooked up to civil service undermines the rule of regulation and authorized certainty, and in addition frees public officers from accountability.
“Superior officers should be held accountable for the conduct and efficiency of their subordinates as it’s their skilled and administrative duty to make sure efficient supply of public providers,” the bench stated.
“Such duty could also be elevated to prison legal responsibility the place the failure to forestall or punish subordinate misconduct results in prison acts akin to corruption, fraud, wilful suppression, contempt of presidency orders and gazette notifications,” it added.
The excessive courtroom then really helpful that the DoPT secretary evolve a doctrine of “superior duty” to carry senior officers in a hierarchy criminally accountable for “failure to forestall and/or punish acts of fee or omission” on the a part of their subordinates.
The courtroom directed that the file be positioned earlier than the Appointments Committee of the Cupboard to evaluate ACS Sanjay Prasad’s suitability for future assignments.
The bench additional disposed of the petition because the minor lady was safely recovered by the native police and restored to her mother and father.
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