The Uttarakhand High Court (HC) has voiced its criticism of the state government’s decision to not publicize reports prepared by eight central scientific and technical institutions regarding the subsidence in Joshimath. In response to this matter, Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Alok Kumar Verma stated in a court order that there is no valid reason for the state to keep these reports confidential and out of public reach. They further emphasized that circulating these reports would provide crucial information to the public, while also increasing their confidence in the state government’s efforts to respond to the situation. The judges made these remarks while considering the recall application filed by the state government, which sought to exempt the chief secretary from appearing personally in court regarding this issue on September 22. The judges ultimately granted the chief secretary exemption from personal appearance. It is worth noting that during the hearing, the state government had submitted copies of the reports in a sealed cover for the court’s consideration. According to Snigdha Tiwari, the lawyer representing the petitioner, this case marks the first time that the court has directed the state to place reports from experts or institutions in a sealed cover.