SC says probe needed into ‘serious’ allegation of Registry misplacing case records

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective.

First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming.

Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day.

Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers

Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there

The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (June 17, 2026) took strong exception to an allegation that its Registry had misplaced a case file relating to a plea challenging a Punjab and Haryana High Court order, observing that such “inefficiency” warranted an inquiry.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice V. Mohana made the observation after advocate Shubhi Shivani Ahmed informed the court that the file relating to an appeal against an April 27, 2026 order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court rejecting her client’s anticipatory bail plea had allegedly been misplaced by the administrative wing of the apex court.

“The special leave petition was filed on June 8. However, it has not been registered by the Registry to date,” she submitted. Ms. Ahmed further informed the Bench that she had written to the concerned Registrar seeking clarification but had received no response.

The Chief Justice observed that the allegation could not be brushed aside and would have to be thoroughly examined.

“It is a very serious matter if the Registry has misplaced the file. If our Registry is misplacing files in urgent matters, do you think I will simply direct the matter to be listed? I must do something more. Please give me the details. I would like to look into this inefficiency, what is the reason behind it and who is responsible for it,” he said.

The Chief Justice also asked Ms. Ahmed to have the advocate-on-record (AoR) who had filed the petition lodge a formal complaint and furnish the relevant details of the incident.

“Ask your AoR to submit a complaint to me today. I am available. He or she may submit it in chambers or at my residence. Give me the case details,” he said.

This is not the first time CJI Kant has voiced concern over the functioning of the Registry.

In May, he delivered a sharp rebuke to the administrative wing, terming the conduct of its officials “nasty” and remarking that some appeared to think of themselves as a “super Chief Justice of India”. The r