Supreme court sets record retention guidelines

New Delhi

The Supreme Court of India on Thursday issued new guidelines for the retention and disposal of administrative records, aiming to establish consistency, improve operational efficiency, and ensure institutional accountability across all branches of its registry.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai, in a statement, highlighted that while judicial records are already governed by established rules, there has long been a gap in managing administrative documents. This, he said, has led to inconsistent record-keeping practices across various departments of the Court.

To address this, the Court has released the “Guidelines for Retention and Destruction of Records, 2025,” which outline timelines for preserving institutional documents such as policy decisions, circulars, audit reports, and inter-departmental communications. The new framework also ensures proper storage, disposal, and digital preservation where necessary.

CJI Gavai credited Registrar Pradip Y. Ladekar for drafting the guidelines and acknowledged support from senior officials, including Secretary General Bharat Parashar and Officer on Special Duty S.C. Munghate.

According to the guidelines, any original submission notes or paper books signed by the CJI or judges will be preserved permanently. Financial records must be maintained by fiscal year, and other records by calendar year. Before any files are destroyed, concerned branches must verify the absence of pending legal, audit, or administrative matters. Destruction exercises should preferably take place during summer vacations or partial court working days, and only after receiving approval from the Registrar concerned.