'Write Legibly Or Get Orders Typed': Allahabad High Court Again Directs District Judges To Sensitize Judicial Officers

A Bench of Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal directed thus while hearing a bail application filed by one Babbu alias Haider in relation to a 2018 attempt to murder case.

While the Court ultimately granted bail to the applicant, it took exception to the quality of the order sheet prepared by the Additional District and Sessions Judge, Baghpat.

Following an earlier HC order, the trial judge submitted a report acknowledging that she was fully aware of a prior coordinate Bench order [passed in Application u/s 482 No. 32490 of 2023] mandating that orders be written in legible handwriting.

Despite this, the High Court noted that the order sheet in this case was written in illegible handwriting.

Justice Deshwal termed the act a clear violation and a clear case of disobeying the order of the HC; however, he refrained from taking harsh administrative action at this stage.

"Though it is a clear case of disobeying the order of this Court, but this Court resists itself from passing any stricture against the present Additional District and Sessions Judge, Court No.1, Baghpat, and expects that in future she will be more careful," Justice Deshwal recorded in the order.

However, to prevent such recurrences, the Court directed the Registrar General to recirculate the order of the coordinate Bench to all District Judges.

For context, in the 2023 order passed by the HC, the following direction was passed by the Single Judge:

"Therefore, Registrar General is directed to issue circular alongwith photo copy of this order to to all District Judges, Principal Judges, Family Court and other Courts subordinate to the High Court to ensure that orders must have been typed on order sheet in the Courts of all judicial officers. In case, for any unavoidable circumstance, typing is not practically possible, orders must have been written in clear hand writing, which can be easily read by every person."

On the merits of the case, noting that the applicant had secured bail on earlier occasions and had explained his criminal history, the High Court directed his release on bail.