Supreme Court Recovers Over 17,000 Case Files Lost in Fire During Gen Z Protest, Accelerates Digital Archiving

Kathmandu. The Supreme Court has recovered more than 17,000 case files that were destroyed in the Gen-Z protest fire at the court building on September 9, 2025 marking significant progress in restoring records lost in the incident.

According to Supreme Court spokesperson and Co-Registrar Arjun Prasad Koirala, around 20,000 files were damaged in the fire. Of those, more than 17,000 have been reconstructed so far, while efforts are underway to recover the remaining records.

To facilitate the process, the Supreme Court introduced the Directive on the Recovery and Authentication of Case Files Destroyed Due to Special Circumstances, 2025. Under the directive, the court sought copies of documents from parties to the case, the Office of the Attorney General, private lawyers, and other concerned parties to rebuild the destroyed case files.

Koirala said the court initially issued a public notice giving concerned parties two months to submit relevant documents. The recovery process has continued even after the deadline, with additional records still being received.

Before the fire, only basic information such as the names of the parties, opposing side, case number, and case subject had been digitally stored. The court had not yet implemented a system to scan and digitally archive complete case files, making the reconstruction process more time-consuming.

“Since the basic case details were available in digital form, it was easier to identify which files had been destroyed,” Koirala told TechPana. “However, the complete records existed only in physical form, so rebuilding them has taken considerable time.”

Following the fire, the Supreme Court has accelerated its digitization efforts. According to Koirala, the court has begun scanning all newly registered case files while also digitally archiving recovered older records.

He said the initiative is expected to strengthen the judiciary's record management system and help ensure that future physical damage does not disrupt judicial proceedings.

पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: असार १७, २०८३ १२:२५