In Brief

The Supreme Court, hearing a Suo Motu matter, addressed systemic inadequacies in criminal trial procedures across Indian courts. The Court recognized that while some High Courts had adopted beneficial practices—such as appending lists of witnesses and exhibits to judgments—these practices were not uniform nationwide. The Court issued thirteen specific recommendations for standardized criminal trial practices, including mandatory computerized recording of evidence, systematic numbering of witnesses and exhibits, inclusion of appendices in judgments, and proper specification of sentence-related details. The Court directed notices to all High Court Registrars and State Administrators to amend their Rules of Practice and Criminal Manuals to establish uniform best practices, considering possible directions under Article 142 of the Constitution.

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