Allahabad HC: Transfers Missing History-Sheeter Case to CBI, Slams UP Police Probe

Home / News updates Allahabad High Court Slams UP Police 'Cavalier' Probe, Transfers Missing History-Sheeter Case to CBI X Allahabad HC orders CBI probe into history-sheeter disappearance. Allahabad High Court transferred probe into Muzaffarnagar history-sheeter Muttliv’s disappearance to CBI, citing police inaction, record discrepancies and possible bias. The Allahabad High Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the disappearance of Muttliv, a Muzaffarnagar history-sheeter who has been missing since his release from jail on May 4, saying the local police appeared unable to conduct an unbiased investigation. Court also directed the CBI to submit a preliminary report within three weeks. A division bench of Justices Atul Sreedharan and Achal Sachdev expressed “displeasure with the casual and cavalier manner” in which the police were acting, noting that the special team’s efforts largely involved visiting public places such as bus stands and government offices and pasting Muttliv’s photograph. Court also found that police had not recorded statements of his relatives, neighbours, friends, associates or others known to him, and said this showed “no action on the part of the police in right earnest” to discover his whereabouts. Instead, it observed, the police appeared to be “managing to prolong” the proceedings before the court. The bench opined that the local police were unable to conduct an unbiased investigation, either because of “lack of competence” or “deliberate delay” . The division bench passed the order on August 31 in a habeas corpus petition filed by Muttliv's brother Alam. Court said the circumstances surrounding his disappearance required his whereabouts to be established, whether he was alive and hiding or had been killed. Transfer of disappearance probe to CBI The high court noted that following an earlier order of August 11, the SHO of Purkajipur police station, Dr Manvendra Singh Bhati, submitted that he had constituted a special team on August 15 to find him. The SHO produced General Diary entries detailing the team's actions after August 15. Court, however, said the entries showed that the team was going to just prominent public gathering places and pasting Muttliv's photograph there. The bench then asked whether police had recorded statements of people known to Muttliv or whether anyone had seen him after May 4. It specifically asked about his brother, relatives, neighbours, friends and associates. The answer, the court recorded, was “disappointingly in the negative”. The bench then expressed its “displeasure with the casual and cavalier manner" of the police and decided to transfer the probe to CBI. What happened to Muttliv after his release from jail? Muttliv, son of Sharaft, had been granted bail by the high court on December 17, 2025, and was released on May 4, 2026. He was a history-sheeter with around 30 cases registered against him at various police stations in Muzaffarnagar district. According to the petition filed by his brother, Muttliv and his father were detained by Purkajipur police immediately after his release on May 4. His father was released on May 7, but Muttliv remained missing. Alam then approached the high court as his next of kin, seeking his production. The State's case was that police were searching for Muttliv after his release to execute a warrant issued by the trial court in Sessions Trial No. 1344 of 2012. The high court, however, noted discrepancies in the police account concerning the dates of issuance and receipt of the warrant. These issues had also been detailed in the court's August 11 order. Possibility of police involvement The high court said Muttliv's absence could lead to two possible inferences. “One” possibility, it said, was that because of his criminal history, he had been “done away” with by the police and his remains buried somewhere. The other was that Muttliv, who had a long history of criminal cases, was himself hiding to escap