Supreme Court of India.
Supreme Court of India Issues New Guidelines for Record Keeping: India’s top court has set new rules. They aim to make its record keeping better. This will bring more accountability. It will also improve efficiency. Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai spoke about the changes. He said the court’s offices have more records now. There was a gap in how these were handled.
Case files already had clear rules. These are in the Supreme Court’s own handbooks. But administrative records lacked such guidance.
The CJI said this led to problems. Different offices used different methods. This made things unclear and less efficient.
The new “Guidelines for Retention and Destruction of Records 2025” fix this. They cover many types of administrative papers. This includes policy decisions and internal messages.
Justice Gavai stressed proper record management. It is key for openness and responsibility. The new rules give a clear framework.
Old documents will be removed systematically. This frees up storage space. It also makes finding records faster.
The guidelines also ensure compliance. They set clear periods for keeping documents. This is based on financial, legal, and administrative needs. They match national standards for public records.
The rules came from wide talks. Registrars and court officials were involved.
CJI Gavai thanked those who helped. He praised Pradip Y. Ladekar, a Registrar. Mr. Ladekar played a key role in drafting them. He also thanked Bharat Parashar and S.C. Munghate for their leadership.
Under the new guidelines, some documents will be kept forever. These include original notes signed by the CJI and other judges. Policy files, office orders, and circulars also fall into this category.
The keeping period starts after a case is over. This includes arbitrations, lawsuits, or audits. Offices must check for pending court cases. They must do this before destroying any files.
If records are linked to another office, they must be informed. This includes confidential records. An alert must be sent if a court case is pending.
Destroying and keeping records needs approval. This must come from the relevant registrar.
Record destruction usually happens during holidays. This includes summer vacation or when the court is partly working.
Scanned copies can be kept longer. Reasons must be written down. The concerned Registrar will decide this.
Financial and budget documents will be separate. They will be kept for each financial year. This runs from April 1 to March 31. Other records will follow the calendar year. This is from January 1 to December 31.
