Examining feasibility of using A4 sheets for filing purposes: Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said it was examining the feasibility of using double-sided A4 sheets for filing purposes and an administrative decision in this regard would be taken soon.

Normally, legal sheets are used for filing purposes.

"We are taking it up on the administrative side," a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar said while hearing a plea filed by the Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC).

The court listed the matter on April 16, saying "by then we will take a decision".

The CASC, which claims to be a think tank registered under the Indian Trusts Act, has contended in its petition that using double-sided A4 sheets would not only protect the environment, but also halve the requirement for paper and take up less space for storage.

Represented by advocate Virag Gupta, the CASC has said that by switching to A4 sheets the high court would save around 6.7 lakh pages, which in turn would save around 80 trees and 67 lakh litres of water per month.

"If the usage of double-sided pages is expanded to Delhi District Courts, it would cause savings of 72.53 lakh pages, which in turn will save 870 trees and 7.25 crore litres of water in one month alone," the petition said.

"Moreover, the litigants face multiple issues in obtaining legal sized paper, which is not freely available as A4 paper. Thus, standardising paper size to A4 before the courts will be in furtherance to providing access to justice," it said.

During the brief hearing, Gupta told the bench that the Supreme Court and various high courts in the country have resolved to use double-sided sheets.