The Supreme Court on Wednesday took serious exception to an affidavit filed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court registrar general, terming it “incorrect” and “misplaced”, and granted two weeks for the HC chief justice to take appropriate action.
The matter relates to an eviction order passed on November 24, 2025, by In-Charge Judge Rent Controller Hari Kishan in a Gurugram court when the regular judge, Civil Judge (Junior Division) Santosh, was on leave. The order was passed ex parte against Anjali Foundation without notice or opportunity for a hearing.
The top court had, in December 2025, sought an explanation, calling the practice contrary to rules. In a January 30 affidavit, the registrar general justified the action as “prevailing practice” but later admitted it was a lone instance when directed in February to provide data of similar cases from the past year.
A bench of justices JK Maheshwari and AS Chandurkar said, “It cannot be expected of a registrar general to file an incorrect statement before the Supreme Court.” He is the face of the judicial officers of the state before this court.”
The bench further observed, “The first report by R-G was not only incorrect but also misplaced… not in consonance with our order,” adding that the registrar general must state what is “right and prevalent”.
The HC, represented by advocate Anubha Agarwal, said the matter has been placed before the HC chief justice, and a vigilance inquiry has been ordered. The bench, while granting two weeks, said it was aware of such practices and could order an inquiry but was being “lenient”.
The court clarified that rules allow in-charge judges to grant only interim relief in urgent cases, not pass final orders.