On Monday, February 16, 2026, district courts across Uttar Pradesh received bomb threat emails. These emails warned of explosions inside court complexes in 18 districts such as Lucknow, Varanasi, Moradabad, Meerut, and Ayodhya. Police intensified security checks and conducted thorough searches with dog squads and bomb disposal units. Lawyers and bar association leaders were warned to stay alert and report any suspicious activity immediately. The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and other law enforcement teams began investigating the threats. Vineet Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) for Law and Order in Lucknow, said, "Acting swiftly on the information, police swung into action and launched searches on the court premises with the assistance of dog squads and bomb disposal units. Lawyers and office-bearers of bar associations were alerted and advised to remain vigilant, while being asked to immediately report any suspicious object or individual within the premises." Security experts suggest these emails could be hoaxes by anti-social elements aiming to disturb the administration. Nurul Hoda, a former senior police officer and security analyst, explained, "These are hoaxes spread by disgruntled anti-social elements to keep the administration on edge. Such localised cyber mischief can be handled through robust cybersecurity. Larger international or anti-national threats are of a different order — and we are more than capable of dealing with them decisively."