SC digs into UP’s criminal justice system after ending 35-year case

The Supreme Court is examining Uttar Pradesh's criminal justice system, quashing a 35-year-old case and seeking data on judicial pendency and undertrial incarceration. The court has ended a 35-year-old case, observing that the constitutional guarantee of speedy trial under Article 21 cannot be reduced to a "mere platitude". The case involved charges of simple hurt and criminal intimidation, with the trial still incomplete after 35 years. The court has called for extensive state-wide data from the Allahabad High Court on judicial delays and undertrial incarceration in Uttar Pradesh.