Supreme Court Rejects Petition Against Allahabad High Court Photo Affidavit Rule

The Supreme Court has refused to entertain a petition challenging the Allahabad High Court’s rule requiring litigants to appear in person for photo affidavits.

The petitioner argued the rule was arbitrary and violated constitutional rights. A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan held that such administrative decisions fall under the High Court’s purview and cannot be questioned under Article 32.

However, liberty was granted to file a representation before the Chief Justice. Earlier, the High Court flagged arbitrary affidavit fees and upheld the validity of affidavits attested by Notaries across India.