Referring to Trial Courts as ‘Lower Courts’ Against Constitutional Ethos: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court recently directed its Registry to stop using terms such as “court below” and “lower court” in official records and procedures.

The Court observed that such expressions do not reflect proper legal terminology and directed that the term “trial court” or the concerned designated court’s name should instead be used.

Justice Abdul Shahid passed the direction while hearing a matter under the SC/ST Act and referred to a 2024 Supreme Court observation stating that describing any court as a “lower court” goes against the ethos of the Constitution.

The Court accordingly asked the Registrar General to consider implementing these directions administratively.

[Mahesh Tiwari v. State of U.P. & Anr.]