PRAYAGRAJ, June 4 -- The Allahabad high court has urged the UP chief minister to recognise that the time has come to hold senior bureaucrats and top administrative heads accountable, and even criminally liable, for the lapses of their departments or subordinates.

The court also directed the chief secretary to place its judgment before the CM for his personal perusal and due consideration of the court's concerns. Justice Vinod Diwakar said the state must adopt a doctrine of "superior responsibility" under which the senior officers in an administrative hierarchy are held accountable.

"Senior officers must be held accountable for the conduct and performance of their subordinates, as it is both their professional and administrative responsi...