Who Is IAS Sanjay Prasad — Bihar-Born, One Of CM Yogi's Most Trusted, Now In Allahabad HC's Scanner

Sanjay Prasad, the 1995-batch IAS officer widely regarded as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's most trusted civil servant, found himself in an unusual spot in May — not in the corridors of power, but in the crosshairs of the Allahabad High Court, which called out his "lackadaisical attitude" and "helplessness" over a year-old cheating case that had gone nowhere.

The case that put Prasad in the firing line was straightforward enough. A Lucknow woman named Gayatri Devi had lodged an FIR in January last year for criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal intimidation — and then spent the better part of a year running from pillar to post as the investigation stalled. When she approached the Allahabad High Court, the bench found that despite a formal assurance given by police in May 2025, the matter had barely moved.

The court's patience ran out in April. The bench directed that if a proper affidavit was not filed by the Station House Officer, the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) — Sanjay Prasad himself — would have to appear in person with all case records and explain why action should not be taken against him and his subordinates for their "lackadaisical attitude." Two arrests followed, on April 17 and April 20 — but only after the court's detailed order of April 13.

The timing of those arrests said everything the court needed to hear. "The arrests having been made on 17.04.2026 and 20.04.2026 — strangely only after this court passed a detailed order on 13.04.2026," the bench observed in its May 20 order, adding that this "spoke volumes" about the conduct and quality of the investigation. The authorities had been told to show "alacrity" — instead, the court said, they had been "sitting and twiddling their thumbs day in and day out."

Prasad then filed a personal affidavit — but that too fell short. The court found it full of gaps and "incongruities," noted that it failed to give a proper explanation, and said it gave the impression that he "does not even care about the orders which are being issued by this court." A fresh, detailed affidavit has been directed before the next hearing on July 15.

The rebuke landed on one of Uttar Pradesh's most powerful bureaucrats. Born on May 23, 1971, in Sitamarhi, Bihar, Sanjay Prasad holds an MA in Geography and has built a career that placed him at the very centre of the Yogi Adityanath administration. He currently oversees the home department, information, vigilance, confidentiality, and visa and passport matters — and is also posted in the Chief Minister's Office itself.

The Prasad-Yogi connection goes back to Gorakhpur, where the two first crossed paths when Adityanath was the city's MP. That relationship grew into one of the most discussed officer-politician partnerships in UP politics, with Prasad widely seen as the man who translates the Chief Minister's priorities into administrative action — earning him the informal tag of Yogi's right hand.

The Allahabad High Court's observations, however, were a reminder that even the most powerful bureaucrats are accountable to the judiciary. With the case listed for July 15 and a fresh affidavit ordered, Prasad now has a deadline — and a court that has already made clear it is watching closely. "If this is the status of a personal affidavit filed by the Additional Chief Secretary," the bench said, "the fate of other investigations can well be understood."