The Allahabad High Court recently issued a direction to its Registrar General to address repeated failures in detecting defects in writ petitions at the filing stage. A bench under Saurabh Shyam Shamshery observed that several petitions were being accepted and listed for hearing even though they contained obvious defects. In one instance, during a hearing on November 3, 2025, the petition was found to have double-page numbering on multiple pages of the paper book. The Court noted that this was not an isolated incident but the “fourth matter of the day” showing a pattern of registry oversight.
Given the recurrence of such filing lapses, the Court directed that before any petition is presented for listing, the Registrar General — or a senior officer designated by him — must personally verify whether the defects have been cured. This step is intended to ensure that no defective petitions proceed to hearing.
In that earlier flawed petition, when counsel for the petitioner asked to withdraw the writ and refile a correct petition, the Court permitted withdrawal but imposed a cost of ₹500, to be deposited with the local Bar Association. It also instructed that the registry should not accept any fresh petition from that petitioner until the cost was paid.
Just a week later, on November 10, 2025, the same bench encountered another writ petition where the registry had accepted an illegible annexure — a communication copy that was unreadable. Instead of outright rejecting the petition, the Court asked for a clearer copy to be filed, but reiterated that registry staff must not accept petitions without curing defects, in compliance with its earlier order.
This intervention comes in the backdrop of broader criticism of the court’s filing and listing practices, which have contributed to delays and uncertainties about when matters will be heard. By holding the Registrar General accountable and requiring personal oversight at the filing stage, the Court aims to restore rigour and prevent defective pleadings from clogging the judicial process.
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