The Allahabad High Court recently criticized a police inspector for appearing in court in casual attire instead of his prescribed uniform while simultaneously granting bail to another police officer accused of bribery.
The bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar Singh was hearing a bail plea filed by Sub-Inspector Shakeel Ahmad, who had been arrested in connection with a bribery case under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The case originated from a complaint by Pramod Kumar Singh, who alleged that Ahmad, named as the investigating officer in Crime No. 8 of 2025, demanded a ₹15,000 bribe to avoid implicating him in a criminal case. The demand was eventually settled at ₹5,000. A trap was set, and Ahmad was reportedly caught red-handed while accepting the bribe, leading to his arrest on February 22, 2025.
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Ahmad’s counsel, however, argued that he was not the actual investigating officer in the said case and had not conducted any part of the investigation due to his deployment at Mahakumbh 2025. He further pointed out discrepancies in the case diary, emphasizing that no record was ever handed to Ahmad for investigation. This claim was verified when the court summoned Inspector Krishna Mohan Rai, the current investigating officer of the bribery case, who confirmed that no documents had been transferred to Ahmad and that previous entries inaccurately named him as an investigator.
“I find force in the submission that applicant never conducted investigation of case crime no. 08 of 2025 and no record was given to him,”
— Justice Sanjay Kumar Singh
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In light of these findings, the Court ruled that Ahmad had made a prima facie case for bail. He was ordered to be released on a personal bond and two sureties with standard bail conditions, including cooperation with the trial and no tampering with evidence.
However, before concluding, the Court took serious exception to Inspector Rai’s conduct during the proceedings. He had appeared before the Court in a colored shirt and trousers—not his prescribed police uniform—despite being present in his official capacity.
“Police officers are expected to wear prescribed uniform while appearing before Courts. The appearance of any police officer wearing casual civil clothes in Court proceeding amounts to violation of decorum of the Court and undermining the Court proceedings,”
— Allahabad High Court
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The Court also noted that Rai behaved inappropriately when the Additional Government Advocate (AGA) pointed out his attire, showing disrespect in his gestures.
In response, the High Court directed the Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh, to issue necessary instructions and guidelines to ensure that all police officers wear their official uniforms when attending court proceedings in their official capacity.
“The DGP is directed to comply with this order and report back within six weeks through the Registrar General of the High Court,”
— Order dated 29 May 2025
The Court further instructed that a copy of the order be sent to the Principal Secretary (Law), State of U.P., and mandated that the compliance report be submitted within six weeks.
Case Title: Shakeel Ahmad vs. State of U.P.
