Section 172: Disposal of documents

After the completion of five years of the final decision of a case, the court shall dispose the documents other than the following documents enclosed in the case file of the said case:

(a) Complaint, charge sheet or plaint,

(b) Statement of the accused or the note of defence,

(c) Statement equivalent to the note of defense,

(d) Originals of evidence,

(e) Memorandum of appeal, if any,

(f) Petition for review or revision of the case, if any,

(g) Judgment or final decision made by the court,

(h) Map, inventory form, statements of property,

(i) Such other documents as considered necessary to be preserved in accordance with law.

Explanation: For the purposes of this Section, the term “final decision” means the decision made by the appeal hearing court in relation to a judgment appealed for, and the decision made by the court competent to make sanction in relation to a reference judgment.