An unusual moment unfolded at the Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench when a judge formally recorded his inability to dictate a verdict after an extended day of hearings, stating that he was too hungry, tired and physically exhausted to deliver the judgment at that time. The observation came from Justice Subhash Vidyarthi while hearing a petition filed by Chandralekha Singh on February 24.
The case was taken up after an exceptionally heavy court schedule. A total of 235 matters, including 92 fresh cases, had been listed before Justice Vidyarthi that day. By around 4:15 pm, the court had managed to hear only 29 fresh matters. The present case, which had been remanded by the Supreme Court with directions for an expedited decision, was then taken up for hearing and arguments continued for nearly three hours, concluding around 7:10 pm after detailed submissions by senior advocates representing the petitioner, respondents and Canara Bank.
The petition stemmed from proceedings initiated in 2025 against an order of the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT). Earlier, the High Court had set aside the DRT’s decision and directed a fresh hearing, but the Supreme Court later overturned that order on the ground that one of the respondents had not been heard. The apex court instructed the High Court to reconsider the matter afresh within six months, a deadline that was due to expire on the day of the hearing.
After the marathon proceedings, Justice Vidyarthi noted the heavy workload handled by the court throughout the day, including regular matters, miscellaneous applications and additional listings. Acknowledging his physical exhaustion, he stated on record that he was not in a condition to dictate the judgment immediately and therefore reserved the verdict for a later date.
