Double-sided A4 pages for filings: Delhi HC says issue being taken up on administrative side

In response to a PIL seeking a direction to its Registry as well as all sub-ordinate Courts in the city to mandate using double-sided A4 pages for filings, the Delhi High Court today stated that the issue was being taken up on the administrative side..The remark was made by a Division Bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar while hearing a petition filed by a think tank, Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change..In its Petition filed through Advocate Gaurav Pathak, the Petitioner has asserted that the plea was preferred to protect the environment and to enforce right to healthy living and clean environment of every person in terms of Article 21 of the Constitution of India..While building its case for saving paper in filings, the Petitioner informs,“As per various reports, it takes approx. 10 litres of water to create one page of paper. As per reports, a tree produces approx. 8333.3 pages. Paper products make up the largest component of municipal solid wastes. India is one of the biggest waste-creators and more than 1.5 lakh metric ton of solid waste is generated every day. Delhi has become a gas chamber and is alone responsible for approx. 8700 metric tons of solid waste every day. Moreover, only 20% of the solid waste is processed, while the remaining 80% pollutes the environment.”.The Petitioner has asserted that using double sided pages in filings before the High Court may save approx. 6.7 lakh pages, which in turn will save 80 trees and 67 lakh litres of water in one month alone..Further, if the usage of double sided pages is expanded to Delhi District Courts, it would save 72.53 lakhs pages, which in turn will save 870 trees and 7.25 crore litres of water in one month, the petition adds..Mandating double side pages would halve the requirement of paper, which is also in line with the idea of Digital India and will also save the physical space required to store them, it is further argued. .The Petitoner has also sought a direction to the Ministry of Law and Justice to issue an advisory to all High Courts in this regard..The Petitioner was represented by Advocate Virag Gupta..The matter would be heard next on April 16.