Allahabad High Court Bans Saliva-Stained Documents to Combat Unhygienic Practices in Legal System

The Allahabad High Court has issued a firm directive against the unsanitary practice of using saliva to turn pages in court documents. This concerning behavior, particularly prevalent among staff chewing paan or paan masala, leaves reddish stains on official files and creates potential health hazards.

Justice Shree Prakash Singh, presiding over a Lucknow bench, delivered the order on September 22, instructing both the court registry and government legal departments to refuse any documents marked with saliva stains.

The issue came to light during proceedings for a petition filed by Krishna Vati and another individual. Upon examining the case file, the court immediately identified reddish saliva marks on multiple pages.

In his observations, Justice Singh noted that this "disgusting and condemnable" habit could originate from various sources, including counsel's clerks, oath commissioners, registry personnel, or even government advocate offices.

The bench expressed frustration that such stains appear "every other day" in court documents, necessitating this restraining order. The court emphasized that this represents "a highly unhygienic situation" demonstrating "lack of basic civil sense" among those responsible.

Of particular concern was the potential health risk, with the bench warning that continuing this "filthy practice" could transmit infections to individuals handling the contaminated papers.

The directive instructs the senior registrar and registry officials to thoroughly inspect all incoming documents, including petitions, applications, and paper books. Any materials showing evidence of saliva spots must be rejected immediately.

Similar instructions were extended to the offices of the government advocate and chief standing counsel, with orders to ensure compliance throughout their departments.