I will give you the honest answer rather than a reassuring but empty one: there is no fixed statutory timeline for the disposal of most criminal appeals at the Allahabad High Court, and the wait can stretch from months to years, depending on the nature and complexity of the case, the current pendency, and the category into which your appeal falls. The Allahabad High Court carries one of the largest dockets of any High Court in the country, and criminal appeals form a significant and varied portion of that load.

That said, you are not without tools to improve your situation. Your immediate and most important concern — if you have been convicted — is your liberty during the wait. If a suspension of sentence and bail pending appeal under Section 430 BNSS has not yet been secured, that is the first application to file. A pending appeal argued from freedom is a different experience entirely from one argued from custody, and courts are generally willing to grant bail pending appeal where the appeal raises arguable questions and the offence is not of the gravest kind. If bail pending appeal was refused at the Sessions Court level, the Allahabad High Court itself can be moved for the same relief.

Beyond bail, certain categories of criminal appeal carry specific disposal timelines — cases involving offences against women and children, for example, carry a mandatory six-month disposal direction in some categories under the BNSS. More broadly, you can file an early-hearing application before the Allahabad High Court where there are genuine compelling grounds: continued custody, a short sentence that risks being substantially served before the appeal is heard, age or health of the appellant, or a clear prima facie case of a miscarriage of justice. Such applications, when well-supported, do move matters up the list. The criminal appeal lawyers at the Kanpur panel who regularly appear before the Allahabad High Court can identify whether your appeal qualifies for expedited listing and file the necessary applications.

My practical guidance is this: be realistic about the timeline but active about improving it. Secure bail pending appeal immediately if you have not already done so, explore early hearing if the grounds exist, and maintain a vigilant watch on the cause list. An appeal pending before the Allahabad High Court is not a passive wait — it is an active process that responds to counsel who stay on top of it.