Mumbai: The Supreme Court on Monday delivered a stinging rebuke to the Uttar Pradesh Police for routinely attempting to convert civil disputes into criminal cases, describing the trend as indicative of a “complete breakdown of the rule of law.”
Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna cautioned that the apex court would impose penalties on the police in future cases if such petitions continued to be filed.
About The Case
The case in question involves a financial dispute, where the UP Police filed a chargesheet seeking criminal prosecution. The petitioner alleged that bribes were paid to the police to escalate what was essentially a civil disagreement into a criminal matter.
Slamming the police’s conduct, the Supreme Court stayed the criminal proceedings and directed UP Director General of Police Prashant Kumar and the investigating officer (IO) to submit their responses within two weeks. “What is happening in UP is entirely unacceptable,” CJI Khanna remarked, according to LiveLaw. “Every day, civil suits are being turned into criminal cases. This is absurd—merely failing to repay money cannot amount to a criminal offence. I will ask the IO to step into the witness box and justify this as a criminal matter. Let him learn his lesson. This is not how chargesheets are supposed to be filed.”
The Chief Justice further criticised the legal fraternity in the state, suggesting that many advocates seemed to have forgotten that civil jurisdiction still exists. While the court agreed to pass over the matter temporarily, it issued a stern warning: “From now on, if any such case arises in UP, we will impose costs on the police. Let the DGP and the IO file their affidavits.
This reflects a complete collapse of the rule of law.” This is not the first time Justice Khanna has voiced concern over the misuse of criminal law. In December 2024, he had flagged a growing pattern in some states where civil disputes were being improperly criminalised, adding that such practices burden the judiciary and undermine the intent of civil litigation.
