Cops Threaten Litigant to Drop Contempt Plea: Allahabad HC Takes Strong Stand

Taking grave view of state police officers intimidating citizens to derail judicial proceedings, the Allahabad High Court has initiated stern action against reported harassment directed at a litigant. A single-judge bench presided over by Justice Piyush Agrawal has directed Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) to file a personal affidavit explaining the matter or remain physically present before the bench. The stern directive follows an urgent petition detailing how police personnel from Farrukhabad district repeatedly barged into the petitioner's residence, using aggressive intimidation, verbal abuse, and coercion to force the withdrawal of an ongoing contempt of court plea.Home Raids and Verbal Abuse: Shamshabad Police Accused of Coercing LitigantThe alarming details of police misconduct were placed before the High Court by petitioner Sukhbir through his legal counsels, Advocates Prashant Singh Rinku and Santosh Kumar Pandey:Invasion of Privacy: According to the sworn affidavit, Station House Officer (SHO) Sachin Chaudhary of Shamshabad Police Station, Farrukhabad, accompanied by Sub-Inspector Mahendra Singh and a posse of armed policemen, raided the petitioner’s home at 2:00 PM on September 18, 2026.Blatant Intimidation: The petition submitted that the visiting police officers hurled unprovoked verbal abuses at the petitioner and his family members, issuing explicit warnings of severe consequences unless the pending contempt litigation was immediately revoked.Repeated Harassment: Rather than an isolated visit, police personnel reportedly staged repeated visits between September 19 and September 21, 2026, creating an atmosphere of fear to coerce the family into dropping legal action against state authorities.Judicial Summons: Justice Piyush Agrawal Puts Top Police Brass on the StandViewing the alleged interference with the administration of justice as an intolerable breach of legal process, the High Court took immediate institutional cognizance:Summons to State Police Chief: Justice Piyush Agrawal ordered the UP DGP to personally submit a comprehensive affidavit accounting for the conduct of the Farrukhabad police personnel or appear in person before the bench on the scheduled hearing date.State Seeks Relief: Before the formal judicial order could be executed, Additional Advocate General Kartikeya Saran appeared post-lunch, submitting that while official instructions had been received from the department, they could not be placed earlier due to procedural delays, formally seeking adequate time to submit full compliance.Relisting for Hearing: Maintaining its uncompromising stance on protecting litigants from administrative vengeance, the High Court relisted the contempt matter for Wednesday, October 14, 2026, for further legal examination.