Registry shall return original certified annexures for fresh proceedings after retaining copies on record.

The applicants had earlier instituted W.P.(Cr.) No. 460 of 2026, which was dismissed by the High Court on 11 August 2026 with liberty to initiate fresh and separately constituted proceedings challenging any specific complaint case, cognizance order, order framing charge, FIR, SEBI order, or other specific proceeding or action, in accordance with law.

Certified copies of various orders and documents had been filed as annexures in the earlier writ petition.

The applicants filed the present Miscellaneous Civil Case seeking clarification or modification of the earlier order, return of the original certified copies after retention of photocopies or scanned copies on the record, and permission to use those documents in fresh proceedings.

The State raised no objection to the prayer.

Whether the liberty granted by the order dated 11 August 2026 in W.P.(Cr.) No. 460 of 2026 included permission to obtain the certified copies of documents and annexures filed in that proceeding for use in separately instituted proceedings.

Whether the Registry should return the original certified copies to the applicants or their counsel after retaining photocopies, scanned copies, or office copies on the record, and whether the applicants could annex those copies in fresh proceedings.

The Court applied the procedural principle that an order granting liberty to institute fresh proceedings may be clarified or implemented through appropriate consequential directions where necessary to facilitate the exercise of that liberty.

It further applied the principle that original documents filed in court may be returned to the litigant, subject to preservation of copies or scans on the judicial record where required.

The applicants’ use of the returned documents remained subject to the requirement that the fresh proceedings be instituted and pursued “in accordance with law”.

The Court noted that the earlier writ petition had been dismissed with express liberty to initiate fresh proceedings concerning specific legal actions or orders.

Since the applicants intended to exercise that liberty and the certified copies sought were already part of the record, requiring them to obtain fresh copies would cause unnecessary duplication and expense.

The State’s absence of objection, together with the limited procedural nature of the request, justified directing the Registry to return the originals while retaining copies or scanned versions if necessary for the record.

The Court also clarified that the documents could be used in fresh proceedings, but only in accordance with law.

The Registry was directed to return to the applicants or their counsel the original certified copies of all documents and annexures filed with W.P.(Cr.) No. 460 of 2026, after retaining photocopies, scanned copies, or office copies if required.

The applicants were permitted to use and annex those certified copies in fresh proceedings instituted pursuant to the liberty granted by the order dated 11 August 2026, subject to law.

A copy of the order was directed to be placed with the records of W.P.(Cr.) No. 460 of 2026.