The petitioners (original defendants in a partition suit) challenged a trial court order dated 21 September 2021 that admitted and exhibited documents (Exhibit Nos. 302–315) produced by the plaintiffs, including certified copies obtained from the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) under the Right to Information Act, 2005. The core legal dispute was whether documents obtained under RTI from a public authority (SMC) qualify as 'public documents' under Section 74(2) of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, and can therefore be exhibited without further proof under Section 77. The petitioners argued that private documents do not become public documents merely because they were submitted to or obtained from a public authority, and also contended that a disputed 'family partition agreement' bearing an allegedly forged seal should not have been exhibited given an ongoing criminal prosecution. The respondents/plaintiffs countered that certified copies of records held by a public authority are admissible as public documents under Sections 74(2) and 77 of the Evidence Act. The Gujarat High Court examined these rival contentions under its supervisory jurisdiction under Article 227 of the Constitution of India.