The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court recently delivered a sharp rebuke to its registry officials and clerks for their unhygienic habit of using saliva to turn the pages of court files and documents.
Justice Shree Prakash Singh made a crucial observation on September 22, noting that over ten petitions and applications presented to the court were found bearing distinct reddish saliva stains. It was evident that these marks were left while staff members were turning pages before officially submitting the documents.
Justice Singh expressed grave concern over the situation, stating, “The possibility of this practice occurring at various stages, such as the filing of paper books, petitions, or applications, whether by a clerk, Oath Commissioner, or other officers handling matters within the Registry and the offices of the Government Advocate and Chief Standing Counsel, is alarming. This constitutes an extremely unhygienic situation, which is not only repulsive and inexcusable but also demonstrates a severe lack of basic civic sense.”
He further emphasized that such practices, if left unchecked, pose a significant risk of spreading infections to all individuals who handle these documents. Justice Singh declared unequivocally that “this is not tolerable at any cost.”
In response, the court has issued clear directives to the Senior Registrar and other Registry officials. They are now required to meticulously inspect all submitted documents and ensure that no petition, application, or paper book showing signs of saliva marks is accepted.
The order also explicitly instructs the Government Advocate and Chief Standing Counsel to uphold these new guidelines and to issue their own written directions to their respective offices to immediately cease this unhygienic practice.