The Supreme Court of India has stayed the auction of a Dalit farmer’s land in Uttar Pradesh, providing temporary relief to the farmer's family amid an ongoing legal battle. The farmer, Sukhram, had originally borrowed Rs 23,049 from the Uttar Pradesh Cooperative Rural Development Bank Ltd. to support his dairy and buffalo farming. Although he had partially repaid the loan, he passed away in 2000, leaving a small outstanding amount of Rs 7,397. Two years later, in 2002, authorities initiated auction proceedings to recover the remaining debt by auctioning Sukhram’s land.

The auction was contested by Sukhram’s son, who argued that it was legally unjust to pursue auction proceedings against a deceased individual. Initially, the Commissioner had set aside the auction on these grounds. However, the Allahabad High Court later upheld the auction, overturning the Commissioner’s decision, leading to the current appeal before the Supreme Court.