A petition has been moved in the Allahabad High Court by law students challenging the inaction on the part of the Registrar General in taking steps for the use of A4 Paper, with printing on both sides, for court work.
The plea seeks the issuance of writ in the nature of Mandamus, directing the use of A4-Size Paper, with printing on both sides of the paper, instead of legal-size paper with one side printing, for all the pleadings, petitions, affidavits or other documents to be filed in all courts in Uttar Pradesh.
In this regard, directions are also sought to amend the Allahabad High Court Rules, 1952 in order to shift to the use of A4 Size Paper for courtwork.
The petitioners have filed the plea with a view to bring uniformity in the use of paper across court, to minimize the consumption of paper in environmental interest and cut down on costs involved.
The Allahabad High Court had previously asked the Petitioners in Saumitra Anand & ORS. vs Registrar General, High Court of Judicature at Allahabad & ors., to approach the Registrar General on the issue. The Court said that the petitioners were at liberty to approach the Court Registry with a detailed demand notice.
The Court had added that the petitioners may re-approach the High Court, if the Registrar General fails to act.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Ramesh Sinha had also observed:
"The issue sought to be agitated by the petitioners requires serious consideration in administrative side."
Allahabad High Court
Acting on the orders of the High Court, the petitioners served a detailed Demand Notice calling upon the Registrar General to take an appropriate decision within a reasonable time, preferably, within a period of 4 weeks, states the plea.
It is further submitted that when no decision on the first Demand Notice was taken, a Reminder Notice was tendered, seeking intimation regarding the status of the Demand Notice within a week and to take a final decision on the said notice within 2 weeks.
However, no decision was taken even after the Reminder Notice, prompting the petitioners to move this present petition before the High Court.
The petition emphasises that the protection of the environment is in conformity with the Constitutional mandate under Articles 48-A, Article 51-A(g), and Article 21.
It is further contended that the use of A4 Size Paper, with printing on both sides, instead of water-marked/foolscap/legal size paper with one side of printing, is indispensable for the protection of the environment and the ethos of the Constitution and in the good of both the public and the State.
The petition has been filed through Advocates Shashwat Anand, Ankur Azad, Rajesh Inamdar and Sarveshwari Prasad.
Recently, Rajasthan High Court issued notice in an allied PIL petition seeking the mandatory use of A4 sized paper sheets for court work. A similar petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court.
The Supreme Court had notified that court filings should be made in A4 size paper from April onwards this year.
The Karnataka High Court recently joined a growing list of High Courts that are shifting to A4 size paper for court filings, following a petition by law students from the NGO, Whistle for Public Interest (WHIP).
The High Courts of Gujarat and Bombay had referred the issue to the Administrative Wing of the respective Courts. The High Courts at Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Kerala, and Calcutta have also notified the use of A4-sized sheets for filing and court work.