New Delhi [India], June 26 : The Supreme Court on Thursday highlighted a lacuna over the management of administrative records and issued guidelines for retention and disposal of documents to create accountability and efficiency across all registry wings.
Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, in a message, said that over the years, the registry of the Supreme Court has witnessed a significant increase in the volume and diversity of administrative records generated across multiple branches.
CJI said, "While judicial records pertaining to case proceedings are governed by explicit provisions contained in Order LVI of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013, and further elaborated in Chapter XXI of the Handbook on Practice and Office Procedure of the Supreme Court of India, 2017, a lacuna has persisted with respect to the management of administrative records."
He further added, "This disparity leads to inconsistent practices across branches, affecting archival clarity and efficiency. The 'Guidelines for Retention and Destruction of Records 2025' aim to remedy this by promoting coherence, accountability, and efficiency in managing administrative records, including institutional decisions, policy implementations, inter-departmental correspondences, audits, and engagements with external stakeholders."
He underscored the importance of properly managing these records for transparency and accountability, and guidelines to establish a rational framework.
Operational efficiency is enhanced by the systematic elimination of obsolete documents, easing storage burdens and improving record retrieval speed, said the CJI.
"The Guidelines ensure compliance with audit and statutory obligations by defining appropriate retention periods based on fiscal, legal, and administrative relevance. They are aligned with national public record management standards," he further continued.
The guidelines were stated to have been borne out of detailed consultations among Registrars and officials of the Registry.
As per the issued guidelines, original submission notes or paper books bearing signatures of the Chief Justice of India and judges of the Supreme Court are to be preserved permanently. Policy files, office orders and circular files were to be preserved permanently.
In case the records of one branch or wing were correlated with those of a different branch or records relating to the confidential branch, an intimation on "the pendency of court case is to be sent to them as soon as the court case is received in the section", it said.
Destruction and retention of records by the relevant branches should be carried out after due approval from the registrar concerned, it further said.