Allahabad High Court stays murder conviction of man seeking to contest UP elections

The Allahabad High Court has stayed the murder conviction and life sentence of Nandlal Rai, also known as Babloo Rai, while his criminal appeal remains pending. The court also granted him bail.

Rai, who was convicted by a Varanasi trial court in April 2025 for the 2017 murder of Pramod Kumar Nigam, expressed his intention to contest the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, potentially on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket or as an independent candidate.

In its ruling, a division bench comprising Justice Siddharth and Justice Vinai Kumar Dwivedi weighed the rights of a politician against those of a private citizen. The court noted that the right to livelihood for a common man is “not less important” than a politician’s right to contest elections. The stay was granted to allow the appellant to “survive for hearing the final verdict.”