Orders From HC’s Official Website Have Sanctity: Bombay HC Tells Trial Courts Insisting On Certified Copy Of Orders [Read Order]

The Bombay High Court has said orders uploaded on its official website have sanctity and trial courts that insist on production of a certified copy always have the option of verifying whether the said orders are uploaded on the website or not.

Justice RV Ghuge of the Aurangabad bench passed the order after advocate Suvidh Kulkarni, who was appearing in a miscellaneous application, stated that the trial court insists upon production of a certified copy of the high court’s orders even if printout of order uploaded on the official website are produced and cited. This is because trial courts are not inclined to believe that such an order is a reliable document.

In this regard, Justice Ghuge clarified:

“I am of the view that this apprehension is misplaced since the printout of the orders of this Court from the official website has sanctity and the trial Courts are expected to consider the said orders, if they are cited after taking a print out from the official website. The said orders are also available before the trial Court from the official website and there can be a counter verification to find out whether such an order is actually uploaded to the official website or not. In this backdrop, there is no harm if such a printout from the official website is placed before this Court.

Once the order is uploaded on the official website, it is a reliable document to be considered by the Court before whom it is cited.”

The court said since various other lawyers have raised the same issue in the past, the Registrar (Judicial) was directed to circulate a copy of the said order to all the Principal District judges in Maharashtra so that the same can be brought to their notice and complied with.