In the present case, the petitioner is seeking copies of the shorthand note books in which the Stenographer takes dictation of the Court. First of all, shorthand note books, as reported by the CPIO, are not retained and secondly the shorthand note book cannot be equated with a judgment or an order, which forms part of the judicial record. Shorthand notebook can at best be treated as a memo of what is dictated to a steno to be later transcribed into a draft judgment or an order. When draft judgments and order do not form part of a 'record' held by a public authority, a shorthand note book which is memo of what is dictated and which would later be typed to become a draft judgment or an order can certainly not be held to be 'record' held by a public authority.
Delhi High Court
Tapan Choudhury vs Central Information Commission & ... on 30 September, 2016
W.P.(C) 8917/2016
CORAM:-
HON'BLE MR JUSTICE SANJEEV SACHDEVA
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