The matter being heard by the Supreme Court involved a cheque bounce case, which is essentially a civil matter. However, the Uttar Pradesh Police allegedly converted it into a criminal case, issued summons, and even filed a chargesheet.
New Delhi, April 7 – The Supreme Court of India, led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, strongly criticised the Uttar Pradesh Police for repeatedly converting civil disputes into criminal cases.
The Chief Justice said this growing trend is “wrong” and amounts to a “complete breakdown” of the rule of law.
The top court has also warned that it may impose damages if such petitions continue to be filed in the future. In the specific case before the court, the criminal prosecution was paused, and a notice was issued to the Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttar Pradesh, Prashant Kumar, along with the investigating officer (IO).
They have been given two weeks to respond.
The matter being heard by the Supreme Court involved a cheque bounce case, which is essentially a civil matter. However, the Uttar Pradesh Police allegedly converted it into a criminal case, issued summons, and even filed a chargesheet.
The petitioner approached the apex court, claiming that the police had taken bribes to do this.
The Chief Justice did not hold back in his remarks. During the hearing, he stated:
“This is wrong, what is happening in UP. Everyday civil suits are being converted to criminal cases.”
He stressed that not paying money in a civil matter cannot automatically be treated as a criminal offence:
“It’s absurd, merely not giving money cannot be turned into an offence.”
Justice Khanna even proposed holding the investigating officer accountable for misusing the law:
“I will ask the Investigation Officer (IO) to come to the witness box. Let the IO stand in the witness box and make out the case of crime.”
“We direct it, let him learn his lesson, this is not the way you file chargesheets.”
He further added:
“It is strange, this is happening day in and day out in Uttar Pradesh.”
In a sharp remark about the legal system in the state, the Chief Justice said:
“Lawyers in Uttar Pradesh have forgotten about the civil jurisdiction.”
This reflects his concern that lawyers are pushing civil disputes into the criminal system instead of following the proper legal process.
This is not the first time the Chief Justice has raised concerns over this practice. Back in December last year, he had pointed out that this trend of wrongly converting civil cases into criminal matters was becoming “rampant” in some states.
He had also cautioned that such misuse of the law adds unnecessary burden to the judiciary:
“Frequently converting civil cases into criminal cases burdened the judiciary with matters that can be dealt with by civil jurisdiction.”
The Supreme Court’s message is loud and clear: civil disputes must be resolved through civil courts, not by abusing criminal laws. Misuse of police powers and filing false criminal charges for personal gain not only weakens the justice system but also harms innocent people.
Case Title: DEBU SINGH AND ANR. Versus THE STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH AND ANR.| SLP(Crl) No. 3620/2025
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