Records such as financial documents, staff files, office instructions, and institutional decisions are all subject to the rules.
A thorough set of rules has been released by the Supreme Court to simplify how its registry keeps and discards administrative documents.
The following general directions, which apply to all register branches, offer an organized method for managing records:
1. Permanent Preservation: Policy files, office orders, circular files, and original submission notes/paper books signed by judges and the Chief Justice of India must all be kept for all time;
2. Retention Period: This ensures that records are kept for as long as necessary and starts when the arbitration, litigation, inquiry, or audit is concluded;
3. Court Case Consideration: If there is an ongoing court case involving the subject, records must not be destroyed, and inter-branch collaboration is necessary to monitor such instances;
4. permission Process: Decisions regarding destruction and retention need the concerned registrar's permission;
5. Timing of Destruction: In order to minimize interruption, record destruction is usually planned during summer vacations or partial court working days;
6. Digital Preservation: With written justification and registrar approval, scanned copies may be kept for longer than the allotted time;
7. Calendar and Financial Records: While other records are kept according to the calendar year (January 1 to December 31), budgetary and financial records are kept from April 1 to March 31 every year.
The recommendations further classify records according to their administrative, legal, and financial relevance by defining retention/destruction periods and classifying them by branch.
An overview of the main categories is provided below:
1. Admin I
• Personal Files: five years after retirement, termination of employment, or benefits.
• Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) Records: Paper books and reports are preserved indefinitely.
• 10 years for MACP (Modified Assured Career Progression), pending audit confirmation.
• Section Reorganization: Submission notes pertaining to policy will be preserved indefinitely.
2. Admin II
• Pension Files and Service Book (Part I): Permanent preservation.
Five years after the last pension or gratuity payout, leave accounts are available.
• Records of Casual Leave: 1 year.
3. Admin III
• Claims for medical reimbursement: either three or one year after the audit.
• House Building Advance: keeping original deeds, three years after recovery.
• CGHS Records: six months after retirement, with registrations kept in permanent preservation.
4. Admin J
• Mobile bills for judges: three to five years, depending on the kind.
• Accommodations at the State Guest House: Long-term preservation.
• Events and Conferences: Long-term documentation.
5. General Administration
• Court Building Construction: Long-term preservation.
• Five years of maintenance records.
• Applications for Vacation Homes: 1 year.
6. Administrative Resources
• Tender Documents: five years after the contract or warranty expires.
• Register of Non-Consumable Stock: Long-term conservation.
7. Security Branch Administration
Applications for parking stickers: five years.
• Applications for proximity cards are valid for five years (digital records are permanent).
8. The Branch of Caregiving
• One year of BVG attendance sheets.
• Requests for water bottles: one year.
9. Funds and Records
Ten years for cash books.
• 35 years on the Pay Bill Register.
• Estimated Budget: Long-term conservation.
10. Daycare
• Policy documents: kept for all time.
• Admission Records for Children: 3 years after withdrawal.
11. Health care
• Files for medical reimbursement: either one year or five years after the audit.
• CGHS Card Preparation: Long-term maintenance.
12. Etiquette
• Permanent preservation through official foreign visits.
• One year after the tour for private domestic tours.
13. Welcome
• Three months for applications for a photo entry pass.
14. Cell for Recruitment
• Notes on Accepted Submissions: Long-term retention.
• Applications from candidates: six years after the outcome.
15. Transportation
• Fuel bills: either three or one year after the audit.
• Files related to vehicle purchases: three years after disposal.
16. The Cell of Vigilance
• Disciplinary proceedings: permanent for policy notes or five years after disposal.
• Property Returns: Up to superannuation or retirement.
The rules close a long-standing gap in the management of non-judicial records that were not previously addressed by the Handbook on Practice and Office Procedure, 2017 or the Supreme Court Rules, 2013.
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