DRT Allahabad: Debt Recovery Tribunal at Prayagraj, Jurisdiction, Powers and Role in Bank Recovery Cases
The Debt Recovery Tribunal, Allahabad, is one of the specialised tribunals established by the Government of India to deal with disputes and proceedings relating to recovery of debts owed to banks and financial institutions. Although the city is now officially known as Prayagraj, the tribunal continues to be identified in official judicial and administrative records as the “Debts Recovery Tribunal Allahabad.” Its official records presently show the tribunal at 9/2A, Panna Lal Road, Allahabad-211002.
The DRT system was created under the Recovery of Debts and Bankruptcy Act, 1993, now known as the Recovery of Debts and Bankruptcy Act, 1993. The central purpose of the legislation is to provide a specialised mechanism for expeditious adjudication and recovery of debts due to banks and financial institutions. The Department of Financial Services states that DRTs and Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunals form an important part of India’s specialised debt-recovery framework, alongside the SARFAESI Act, 2002.
DRT Allahabad has considerable geographical importance because its territorial jurisdiction covers a large group of districts in Uttar Pradesh. Under the Central Government’s 15 February 2017 notification issued under Section 3 of the governing legislation, DRT Allahabad was assigned jurisdiction over 55 districts. The notified districts include Agra, Aligarh, Prayagraj/Allahabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Amethi, Auraiya, Azamgarh, Bahraich, Ballia, Balrampur, Banda, Barabanki, Bareilly, Basti, Bhadohi, Budaun, Chandauli, Chitrakoot, Deoria, Etah, Etawah, Farrukhabad, Fatehpur, Firozabad, Ghazipur, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Hamirpur, Hathras, Jalaun, Jaunpur, Jhansi, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar, Kaushambi, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Mahoba, Mainpuri, Mathura, Mau, Mirzapur, Pilibhit, Pratapgarh, Sant Kabir Nagar, Shahjahanpur, Shravasti, Siddharth Nagar, Sonbhadra, Sultanpur and Varanasi, among others listed in the notification.
The territorial division is legally significant. The Allahabad High Court has previously examined the jurisdictional question and held that DRT Allahabad has exclusive territorial jurisdiction over the districts assigned to it by the 2017 notification. The Court specifically observed that a DRT derives its territorial jurisdiction from the Central Government notification issued under Section 3 and cannot simply assume jurisdiction over areas assigned to another DRT.
This makes the choice of the appropriate DRT an important preliminary issue in recovery litigation. A bank, financial institution, borrower or other party cannot determine tribunal jurisdiction merely on the basis of convenience. The applicable statutory provisions and the notified territorial jurisdiction have to be considered. The precise forum can also depend upon the nature of the proceeding and the statutory provision under which it is brought.
One of the principal categories of litigation before DRT Allahabad consists of Original Applications, commonly referred to as OAs. These proceedings are used by banks and financial institutions for recovery of debts falling within the jurisdiction of the tribunal. Official cause lists from DRT Allahabad show numerous recovery proceedings involving banks including State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Union Bank of India and other financial institutions.
The tribunal also deals with proceedings connected with enforcement of secured assets under the SARFAESI Act. Borrowers and other eligible persons can challenge measures taken by secured creditors through the statutory mechanism provided under that legislation. Current DRT Allahabad cause lists contain numerous Securitisation Applications, commonly identified as SAs, together with interlocutory applications seeking stays, amendments, preponement or other relief.
The distinction between an Original Application and a Securitisation Application is therefore important. An OA generally represents a recovery proceeding initiated by a bank or financial institution, whereas an SA generally arises from a challenge to measures taken under the SARFAESI framework. The exact remedy available depends upon the facts of the case, the statutory provision involved and the stage at which the recovery or enforcement process has reached.
The official cause lists also demonstrate the practical nature of disputes reaching DRT Allahabad. Matters can involve applications for stay, requests for advance hearings, amendments to pleadings, impleadment of auction purchasers, release of property or documents, condonation of delay and other interlocutory relief. In a May 2026 cause list, for example, DRT Allahabad recorded multiple applications connected with Securitisation Applications, including applications for stay, amendment, preponement and advance hearing.
This is particularly important in cases involving mortgaged houses, commercial properties, industrial units or other secured assets. Once a secured creditor proceeds under the SARFAESI framework, the dispute can move rapidly through stages such as possession, publication of auction notices and sale of the secured property. Consequently, applications concerning stay and urgent hearings can become central components of DRT litigation.
The DRT is also involved in the execution stage of recovery proceedings. After an order or recovery certificate is issued, recovery proceedings can continue through the Recovery Officer. Official DRT Allahabad cause lists show Recovery Officer matters involving recovery certificates arising from earlier Original Applications. These records include proceedings involving major banks and asset-recovery cases, illustrating that the tribunal’s work does not end simply when an adjudicatory order is passed.
The scale of India’s DRT system explains the importance of these proceedings. The Department of Financial Services currently states that 39 DRTs and five DRATs are functioning across the country. The Government describes the system as a specialised mechanism intended to provide expeditious adjudication and recovery of debts due to banks and financial institutions.
Technology has also changed the way DRT Allahabad operates. The official DRT system provides online access to case-status information and cause lists, and current cause lists demonstrate the use of Webex links for hearings. The national DRT portal also states that e-filing of pleadings by applicants is mandatory and that pleadings submitted in other forms will not be taken on record.
The use of virtual and hybrid hearings can be particularly relevant to a tribunal whose jurisdiction covers dozens of districts. Litigants and lawyers from cities far from Prayagraj may otherwise face substantial travel and logistical difficulties for every hearing. Electronic case information and online hearings can therefore reduce some of the geographical burden, although the precise availability of virtual participation depends upon the tribunal’s directions and the particular hearing.
DRT Allahabad also has an important relationship with the Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunal. Appeals from DRT decisions are dealt with through the statutory appellate structure. The official records show a Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunal at Allahabad/Prayagraj, located at First Floor, E-10 B Building, BSNL Premises, Patrika Marg, Prayagraj-211001. Its cause lists include appeals arising from Allahabad DRT matters.
The appellate structure means that a DRT order is not necessarily the final stage of litigation. Depending upon the nature of the order and the applicable statute, an aggrieved party may have a statutory appellate remedy before the appropriate DRAT, subject to the requirements and conditions prescribed by law. Further judicial remedies may also arise in appropriate cases, but the availability and scope of those remedies depend upon the specific statutory framework and facts.
Recent official case records demonstrate that DRT Allahabad continues to actively list and dispose of cases. The tribunal’s online records show proceedings during 2026, including Securitisation Applications, Original Applications and recovery proceedings. One case record available through the official system, for example, shows a matter originating from an Allahabad DRT proceeding and subsequently appearing before the appellate forum, where the appeal was ultimately disposed of in January 2026.
For borrowers, the existence of DRT proceedings can become particularly important when a bank has classified an account as a non-performing asset and subsequently begins enforcement action against secured property. A borrower should carefully identify whether the bank has merely demanded payment, issued a statutory notice, taken possession measures, issued an auction notice or completed a sale, because different stages can trigger different legal consequences and limitation requirements.
For banks and financial institutions, DRT Allahabad provides a specialised forum for recovery proceedings involving qualifying debts. Instead of relying exclusively on ordinary civil litigation, the statutory framework provides a dedicated mechanism designed specifically for financial recovery disputes. The tribunal’s Recovery Officer machinery also provides an enforcement mechanism after adjudication.
At the same time, the DRT system is not intended to eliminate legal protections available to borrowers. The statutory framework provides avenues through which eligible borrowers and other affected parties can challenge certain recovery and securitisation measures. Whether a particular challenge is maintainable, whether interim protection can be granted and what final relief may be available depends on the facts, statutory requirements and evidence presented before the tribunal.
The history of DRT Allahabad also demonstrates why accurate territorial jurisdiction is important in Uttar Pradesh. The creation of DRT Dehradun in 2017 resulted in a restructuring of tribunal jurisdictions involving Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The same notification specified the districts assigned to Allahabad, Lucknow and Dehradun. Courts have subsequently relied upon that notification when deciding disputes over which DRT has jurisdiction.
The name “DRT Allahabad” can sometimes create confusion because the city was officially renamed Prayagraj. For legal and administrative purposes, however, the official DRT database and its cause lists continue to use the name “Debts Recovery Tribunal Allahabad.” Consequently, lawyers and litigants searching the official case-status system may need to use “Allahabad” rather than only “Prayagraj” when identifying the tribunal.
For anyone involved in a bank-recovery or SARFAESI dispute in the districts assigned to DRT Allahabad, the most important practical step is to identify the exact statutory proceeding, the relevant dates and the stage of enforcement before deciding on a remedy. Limitation periods and procedural requirements can be critical in DRT litigation. A delay in seeking an available statutory remedy can have serious consequences, particularly where secured property is approaching auction or possession.
DRT Allahabad therefore occupies a central position in the debt-recovery system of a large part of Uttar Pradesh. Its work encompasses bank recovery applications, securitisation disputes, recovery-certificate proceedings and related interlocutory applications. With a jurisdiction extending across 55 districts, its decisions can affect a wide range of borrowers, businesses, guarantors, banks and financial institutions.
The continuing publication of cause lists and case-status information through the official DRT system also provides an important degree of transparency. Current records show that the tribunal continues to process Original Applications, Securitisation Applications and Recovery Officer matters, while its appellate cases proceed before the corresponding DRAT.
For legal practitioners, borrowers and financial institutions, DRT Allahabad is therefore more than a conventional recovery forum. It is a specialised statutory institution at the centre of India’s bank-debt enforcement architecture in eastern, central and western portions of Uttar Pradesh. Its jurisdiction, procedural powers and relationship with SARFAESI enforcement make understanding the tribunal essential whenever a substantial bank debt or secured-asset dispute arises within its notified territorial area.
Because tribunal jurisdictions, administrative arrangements, filing procedures and case listings can change, the current official DRT portal and the latest cause list should be checked before relying on older addresses, jurisdictional information or procedural instructions. The official records currently identify DRT Allahabad at 9/2A, Panna Lal Road, Allahabad-211002 and show active 2026 proceedings.
