The Allahabad High Court on Monday rejected a petition seeking criminal proceedings against senior BJP leader and Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya over allegations of using fake educational degrees for election nominations and securing a petrol pump dealership.

Justice Sanjay Kumar Singh dismissed the plea filed by BJP member and social activist Diwakar Nath Tripathi from Prayagraj, who had initially sought a police investigation into the allegations through an application under Section 156(3) CrPC. The application was dismissed in 2021 by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Namrata Singh, who found no cognizable offence made out against Maurya.

Tripathi’s subsequent revision petition challenging the ACJM’s decision was dismissed by the High Court in February 2024 on the ground of an inordinate delay of over 300 days.

However, in January 2025, the Supreme Court intervened and condoned the delay, directing the High Court to hear the matter on merits. Following this, Tripathi filed a fresh petition reiterating the same allegations. The High Court admitted the plea in April 2025 and reserved judgment in May.

On Monday, the Court ultimately declined to interfere, effectively ending Tripathi’s challenge to the alleged academic credential discrepancies of the Deputy Chief Minister.