Maharashtra makes daily Roznama records mandatory for all quasi-judicial authorities

For any litigant waiting years for a decision before a government tribunal or quasijudicial authority every hearing date matters Yet without a formal record proving what transpired which documents were submitted or why a matter was adjourned has long been a challenge for citizens seeking justiceIn a decisive move to address these systemic concerns the Maharashtra government has made maintaining a comprehensive Roznama daily proceedings record mandatory for all quasijudicial and appellate authorities functioning across the stateWelcoming the historic decision Advocate Jamshed Mistry advocate and amicus curiae appointed by the Bombay High Court in several significant matters said the government circular would bring vital transparency to state tribunals and administrative bodiesldquoThis circular is very important and useful for maintaining full transparency of records by the administration and tribunals which in turn will help litigants immensely The records and details of daily proceedings can easily be accessed through legal transcriptionrdquo Mistry saidHe added that maintaining accurate records of judicial and quasijudicial proceedings is rooted in established legal history noting that such a structured system was first introduced in the United Kingdom in 1851 to ensure accurate recordkeeping of evidence for courts of lawUshering in accountabilityThe circular targets backlogs by mandating regular reviews and timely disposals under relevant laws While referencing the 2005 Delay in Discharge of Official Duties Act the state clarified it cannot impose arbitrary blanket timelines on all quasijudicial proceedingsAdministrative secretaries are directly accountable for audits and enforcing disciplinary action for lapses Mistry noted that while maintaining statutory judicial powers the directive equips citizens to verify compliance eliminate unrecorded hearings and demand timely justiceThe caseThe General Administration Department issued the landmark circular on November 3 prescribing a uniform procedure for maintaining Roznamas across all quasijudicial and appellate proceedings in MaharashtraThe policy shift directly follows strict observations made by the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court in Writ Petition No 4512 of 2026 in an order dated October 7The High Court took grave notice of a case languishing for approximately 14 years in the complete absence of an official Roznama tracking the proceedingsThe courtrsquos strictures compelled the state government to enforce a comprehensive recordkeeping framework requiring unique case registration numbers chronological hearing logs and mandatory litigant contact data collectionWhat will change for litigantsUnder the new framework every quasijudicial and appellate authority must maintain a separate Roznama for each case Each matter must carry a unique registration number across physical and electronic archives for seamless tracking and retrievalThe Roznama must provide a clear factual account of every hearing Mandatory entries includeHearing proceedings Summaries of what transpired alongside names of present parties and representativesDocumentary evidence A log of all files and records submittedDirections amp orders Bench instructions directions and interim ordersPresiding officer amp case details The presiding officerrsquos name and case numberHearing dates amp signatures Previous and next hearing dates with signatures of attendees Absences or missing signatures must be explicitly explainedAuthentication amp corrections Dated authentication by a competent officer with any alterations strictly traceableAdditionally authorities must record valid postal addresses emails and phone numbers at filing preserving verifiable delivery logs for electronic noticesCitizensrsquo voicesPrashant More Navi Mumbai residentlsquoI have been getting date after date for my matter before MahaRERA without any recourse While this circular for a daily Roznama is a welcome move the real test lies in ensuring it is strictly followed on the groundrsquoAbhishek Vispute Dombivii residentlsquoI have been awaiting justice since 2014 ever since the developer duped us in our Ambernath project We had to approach MahaRERA which passed an execution order but it hasnt been executed for the last five years I have already been blacklisted by CIBIL due to home loan defaults Government circulars are fine but what good are they unless the common man actually gets justicersquo