The Allahabad High Court called the saliva practice highly unhygienic, disgusting, and condemnable, slamming officials for turning petition pages with saliva and issuing strict hygiene directions.
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NEW DELHI: The Allahabad High Court has taken serious exception to the practice of clerks, officials, and oath commissioners using saliva to turn pages of petitions and case files. Justice Shree Prakash Singh, while hearing a land dispute matter, described the act as “highly unhygienic, disgusting, and condemnable.”
The court observed that in more than ten petitions filed the same morning, pages carried reddish saliva stains, clearly left by individuals flipping through papers. Justice Singh called this behavior a display of poor civic sense and a dangerous health hazard.
“If such kind of filthy practice is not restrained, the same will create cause of infection to persons who would come in contact with such papers. Therefore, this is not tolerable at any cost,”
the court remarked.
Preventive Directions Issued
Taking immediate action, the court directed the Senior Registrar and Registry officials to ensure that no petition, paper book, or application bearing saliva marks should be entertained or accepted at the filing stage. The order further instructed:
- The Senior Registrar and In-Charge Registry must carefully examine all filed documents.
- Any paper containing saliva spots should be rejected.
- The Government Advocate and Chief Standing Counsel must issue written directions in their offices to prevent this unhygienic practice.
This strong order aims to eliminate the long-standing but unsanitary habit, especially given the risks of infection spread through shared physical documents.
Background of the Case
The remarks came during the hearing of a land dispute involving applicants Krishna Vati and another against the State of Uttar Pradesh and others. The case centers on land recorded as Gata No. 171 in Village Pipariya, Bahraich district.
- On December 20, 2022, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Mahsi, Bahraich, attached the land under Section 146 Cr.P.C.
- The applicants, claiming to be recorded tenure holders, argued that their ownership was concealed in those proceedings.
- On May 11, 2023, the SDM recalled the earlier attachment order.
- However, on March 6, 2025, the revisional court set aside the recall and remanded the case.
Before the High Court, the applicants contended that the revisional court had ignored their legal rights as recorded owners. Justice Singh agreed that the revisional court had failed to properly address their ownership claims.
High Court’s Interim Order
Finding merit in the applicants’ arguments, the Allahabad High Court stayed both the SDM’s December 2022 order and the revisional court’s March 2025 order. Notices were issued to the opposite parties, and the case has been listed for further hearing on October 27, 2025.
Case Title:
Krishna Vati And Another vs. State Of U.P. Thru. Secy. Home Lko. And 4 Others
