Prepare standard operating procedure for properly maintaining SLP paper books: SC to Secretary General & Registry Officer
Justices J.K. Maheshwari & Sanjay Karol [16-04-2024]

Read Order:ANJUMOL V.A. & ORS v. KERALA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION & ORS [SC- Petition(s) for Special Leave to Appeal (C) No. 13242/2021]

LE Correspondent

New Delhi, April 30, 2024: In light of the practical issues arising in the maintenance of SLP paper books, which is causing difficulty in the Court’s day-to-day functioning, the Supreme Court has ordered for preparation of standard operating procedure for proper maintenance of the same.

The Division Bench of Justice J.K. Maheshwari and Justice Sanjay Karol noticed that during hearing of the cases, either on miscellaneous days or non-miscellaneous days, the Court is experiencing various practical difficulties. The orders passed in the proceedings are not attached to the paper books.

In service matters, counsels for the petitioner are not attaching the relevant Rules with appendix in the SLP paper books or even not referring the same in pleadings. Some time, those Rules are being filed in piecemeal with applications or with additional documents, due to which matters are required to be postponed, which causes extra financial burden on the parties and delay in adjudication.

Not only this but counter ­affidavits are sometime attached to the main SLP paper book without flagging and inviting attention and sometime as separate paper book, which require unnecessary search and to waste time by Judges.Another issues is that on the directions and after filing the convenience compilation, it is not sent to the residential offices of the Judges either in hard copy or by way of emailing and even during hearing.

Moreover, The I.A. number is not properly exhibited on its face. The applications are not attached date­wise with the paper books, which causes inconvenience to the Judges. Alongwith these, the Bench notes that there were other ancillary issues as well.

“In view of above, we direct that the Secretary General and the Registry Officers, in particular the Registrar (Judicial) shall prepare standard operating procedure for properly maintaining the SLP paper books and to eradicate the said difficulties and be notified after seeking appropriate orders from Hon. the Chief Justice of India”, the Bench held. 

The Top Court also granted two week’s time to file an affidavit clarifying how many persons had been appointed and what were their qualifications and what was the status of the petitioners in the Special Leave Petition.

The Bench concluded the matter by observing, “We hope and trust, for efficient functioning of the Court, due compliance shall be made as expeditiously as possible.”