Allahabad HC gives one month to police to trace lawyer missing for 3 years

Prayagraj, Sep 12 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court has given one month's time to the police to trace high court lawyer Jai Shankar Upadhyay, who is missing for the last three years.

Hearing a habeas corpus writ petition filed by Abhaykant Upadhyay, brother of the missing lawyer, a division bench comprising justices Salil Kumar Rai and Zafeer Ahmed said, "The case was registered in 2022 and it has been three years but the corpus has not yet been traced." While fixing October 27 for the next hearing, the court directed that on this date, the additional government advocate shall submit progress report in the investigation.

The court further directed that the DCP (crime), ADCP (crime), and ACP (crime), Prayagraj, under whose leadership this investigation team is to work, shall be personally present in the court on the next date fixed in the case.

In the petition, Abhaykant Upadhyay demanded that his brother be searched and be produced before the court.

On behalf of the state government, additional advocate general MC Chaturvedi, additional government advocates Paritosh Malviya and Rishi Chaddha told the court that an SIT has been formed under the leadership of ACP (crime) to investigate the case.

The suspects are being questioned. The police had sought permission for narco test from the magistrate court but did not get the permission, they added.

At the same time, Abhaykant Upadhyay claimed the police had been harassing him in the name of investigation.

The court said the police has complete freedom to investigate. It can interrogate whomever it deems appropriate, but no method like third degree will be used against anyone.

Giving one month's further time for investigation, the court said that if no result comes out of this, then any other method will be considered.

A case of missing was lodged on September 3, 2022 after Jai Shankar Upadhyay, a resident of Ponghat Ka Pul under Dhoomanganj police station of Prayagraj, went missing.

Later, police registered a case of kidnapping (case crime no- 360 of 2022) under section 365 (kidnapping) of IPC and started investigation, which is still going on. PTI COR RAJ ZMN