Stop Referring To 'Trial Courts' As 'Lower Courts': Supreme Court Tells Registry

“Even the record of the Trial Court should not be referred to as Lower Court Record (LCR). Instead, it should be referred as the Trial Court Record (TCR).,” Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan added.

The Division bench was hearing a criminal appeal against the conviction of appellants under Section 302 (murder) and Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. After analyzing the evidence on record, the trial court convicted the appellants and sentenced them to life imprisonment.

Aggrieved, the appellants assailed this order before the High Court. Therein, the Court concluded that the prosecution had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Thus, while dismissing the appeal, the Court also directed the appellants to surrender. Against this backdrop, the matter travelled to the Top Court.

The appeal was called for a hearing on Thursday (on February 08). The Court asked the Registry for a soft copy of the Trial Court's record. After recording this, in the present order, the Court also said: “It will be appropriate if the Registry of this Court stops referring to the Trial Courts as 'Lower Courts'.”

Before parting, the Bench also directed the Registrar (Judicial) to take note of this order.

Case Title: SAKHAWAT vs. THE STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH., Diary No.- 47260 – 2018

Citation : 2024 LiveLaw (SC) 103

Click here to read the order

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