SC orders all courts to shun practice of mentioning caste or religion of litigants in cases

The Supreme Court has ordered its Registry, all High Courts and subordinate courts to stop the practice of mentioning the caste or religion of litigants in case papers. A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah, in its recent order, said that the practice should be shunned and stopped immediately.

It directed all High Courts to ensure that the caste or religion of a litigant does not appear in the memo of parties in any petition filed before High Courts or subordinate courts under their jurisdiction.

"We see no reason for mentioning the caste/religion of any litigant either before this Court or the courts below. Such a practice is to be shunned and must be ceased forthwith. It is therefore deemed appropriate to pass a general order directing that henceforth the caste or religion of parties shall not be mentioned in the memo of parties of a petition/proceeding filed before this Court, irrespective of whether any such details have been furnished before the courts below," the bench stated in it's order. The order of the top court came while allowing a transfer petition in a marital dispute pending before a family court in Rajasthan.

The apex court, while permitting the transfer of the case to a family court in Punjab, was surprised to find that the caste of both parties to the dispute (husband and wife) had been mentioned in the memo of the parties.