The Allahabad High Court has asked the Central Government to respond to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking to rename the court as the “High Court of Uttar Pradesh.” Filed by petitioner Deepanker Kumar, the PIL names the Union of Bharat, represented by the Ministry of Law and Justice, as the respondent. The case is being heard by a bench comprising Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Om Prakash Shukla.
During the hearing, the court decided to keep open the question of the petition’s maintainability and the objections to the reliefs sought by the petitioner. The bench referred to a previous ruling by a Coordinate Bench in PIL Civil No. 14171 of 2020, which could have a bearing on the case. The court directed the Centre and other respondents to file their counter affidavit within four weeks, noting that the petition also challenges the validity of the Amalgamation Order of 1948. The petitioner has been given two weeks to submit a rejoinder affidavit after receiving the Centre’s response.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for a later date following the submission of affidavits. This development is part of a broader discussion on whether the name “Allahabad High Court” should be updated to reflect the state’s current name, Uttar Pradesh.
