Allahabad High Court takes cognisance of Hamirpur students’ road protest

The Allahabad High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of a newspaper report about more than 200 schoolchildren in Chandupur village, Hamirpur district, who walked five kilometres to protest the lack of a road to their school. A bench of Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Kshitij Shailendra acted on a Dainik Jagaran report published on August 12, 2026. The court observed that children having to march to the District Magistrate's office 'reflects the magnitude of difficulties being faced by them.'

According to the report, the Public Works Department said 1.5 kilometres of the road was in bad condition. Work worth Rs 1.81 crore has been stalled because the Forest Department has not issued a no-objection certificate. The court issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government, the District Magistrate, and officials from the PWD and Forest departments. The matter is listed for August 24, 2026.