In a recent development, the Supreme Court has issued a significant ruling, disallowing the submission of a special leave petition (SLP) to contest an administrative decision made by a High Court.

The case in question pertained to a petitioner who sought to challenge an administrative directive issued by the Chief Justice of the High Court of Telangana. This directive had denied the petitioner's request to implement the Chief Justice of India's (CJI) instructions for online hearings and the ability to file contempt or other petitions online for subsequent online hearings. When the petitioner's SLP was refused registration by the Supreme Court Registrar, he decided to appeal this decision.

Justice KV Viswanathan cited the legal precedent set in the case of Dev Singh and Others vs. Registrar, Punjab and Haryana High Court and Others, (1987) 3 SCC 169. In this landmark case, it was established that Article 136 of the Constitution only permits the filing of special leave petitions concerning judicial decisions rendered by courts and tribunals.

Since SLPs cannot be filed against administrative orders, the Registrar's decision was deemed lawful. Consequently, the order issued on January 6, 2023, by the Registrar has been upheld by the court.

Case Title: Nimmanapally Surya Reddy vs Honorable Chief Justice High Court Of Telangana

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