The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a petition seeking the registration of a criminal case against Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya over allegations of submitting fake educational qualifications in election affidavits and for securing a petrol pump dealership.
A single-judge bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar Singh dismissed the plea on Monday, rejecting the petition filed by Diwakar Nath Tripathi, a BJP leader and social activist from Prayagraj. Tripathi had initially moved an application under Section 156(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM), Prayagraj, in 2021. He sought a direction for police investigation into the alleged forgery.
However, ACJM Namrata Singh had declined the request, holding that no cognizable offence was made out against Maurya. Tripathi then challenged the magistrate’s decision before the High Court through a criminal revision.
In February 2024, the High Court dismissed the revision on the ground of delay, noting that it had been filed more than 300 days after the trial court’s decision. Subsequently, Tripathi approached the Supreme Court.
In January 2025, the Supreme Court condoned the delay and directed the Allahabad High Court to consider the matter on its merits. Pursuant to this, Tripathi filed a fresh petition in the High Court, reiterating the same allegations. The case was admitted in April 2025, and the matter was taken up for consideration in May.
With Monday’s dismissal, the High Court has now declined to interfere with the findings of the lower court, effectively putting an end to the judicial scrutiny of the allegations raised by Tripathi.
