India, Aug. 7 -- The Government of India has issued a release:
The e-Courts Mission Mode Project has transformed India's paper-based judiciary into a digitally enabled and trackable justice delivery system. Since 2014, both case filings and disposals have nearly tripled, with courts consistently disposing of more cases than are filed each year. Over 753 crore pages of court records have been digitised, while thousands of e-Sewa Kendras are helping bridge the digital divide by expanding access to judicial services. Together, these reforms are making the justice system faster, more transparent, and more accessible to everyone.
S.No
Component Name
Achievement
Fully functional eSewa Kendras
1,806 established across court complexes
Setting up the infrastructure for paperless courts
474 courts are equipped with the necessary hardware.
Expansion of the Virtual Courts for hearing of court cases by creating the robust digital infrastructure.
538 courts are equipped
Implementation of e-filing of court case
4,519 courts
Provision for enhancing and upgrading the available infrastructure of Video Conferencing (VC)
7,553 establishments have VC facilities including courts, jails and hospitals.
Solar facilities for ensuring seamless availability of ICT infrastructure
1,626 courts complexes are equipped
Providing National Service & Tracking of electronic Processes (NSTEP) facility
6,895 courts have NSTEP facility.
Migration of all High Court and District Court websites to S3WAAS platform
734 courts sites migrated
Additional hardware to courts and judicial officers in Phase II
18,380 courts provided
Integration with Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) to enable seamless transfer of data and information among different pillars like courts, police, jails, forensic labs
All High Courts have implemented ICJS
Training of all stakeholders
2,372 trainings held
Knowledge Management
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras is developing Learning Management System (LMS)
Connectivity
174 Sites connected with Software Defined Wide Area Network (SDWAN) technology
Digitising India's Judiciary
India's judiciary, which serves over a billion people, has long relied on paper records and brick-and-mortar infrastructure. Many citizens incurred excessive travel and other expenses visiting courts and other establishments for their matters and documents. This archaic system made the delivery of justice slow, cumbersome and expensive for the people it served.
The Government launched the e-Courts Mission Mode Project in 2007 to address these challenges. This Mission aims to systematically speed up proceedings by digitising various court proceedings and documents. It is also making the judicial process more affordable, accessible and transparent for all involved, including lawyers, judges and clerks. Now in its third phase, the Mission has transformed the judicial system using technology.
Phase I (2011-2015) laid the foundation of this Mission, by computerising over 14,000 courts and building basic network infrastructure needed to support technology-enabled judicial services.
Phase II (2015-2023) built on this with a range of citizen-centric services, introducing the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), eFiling, and eSewaKendras (a physical help desk providing digital court services).The phase also expanded video conferencing infrastructure more than fivefold, significantly enhancing virtual access to judicial proceedings.
The project is now in its third phase (2023-2027).
This phase envisions a transition towards digital, paperless and more intelligent courts through large-scale digitisation of records, wider use of virtual hearings, deeper interoperability across justice institutions and adoption of emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI), analytics and Optical Character Recognition (OCR).
The two achievements of this phase are:
Benefits of Court Digitisation
Virtual courts, video conferencing facility, case trackers and dashboards showing pending and disposed cases, among other digital tools, have organised and sped up court proceedings. These reforms benefit all stakeholders involved.
Transparency in pending and disposed cases through National Data Judicial Grid
The National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), launched under Phase II, is an online public dashboard that tracks court orders, judgements and case details in real time. This include spending cases across all levels of the judiciary.
The NJDG comprises three dedicated dashboards for the Supreme Court, High Courts and District Courts. Together, they provide insightful details on the functioning of courts across the country by tracking:
The NJDG aims to improve transparency and accountability in the system by making data on pending court cases public. It has also helped in judicial planning, monitoring and remote administration by the High Court judges, District Judges and High Court Registry.
Speeding up of processes through e-Filing of documents
Previously, citizens and lawyers had to file court documents - such as complaints, written statements, replies and other applications - in person. The e-Filing system now removes this need, allowing documents to be filed online from anywhere. To make justice more inclusive, it supports English as well as regional languages, and works across District Courts, High Courts and the Supreme Court.
Digitising legacy court records for efficient case retrieval and storage
Crores of older court records are being digitised under Phase III of the mission. This helps preserve valuable records from physical damage and makes retrieval and research faster and more efficient.
Affordable access to court proceedings through remote hearings
Litigants, lawyers, witnesses, and other stakeholders can now participate in hearings remotely through video conferencing. This has eliminated the need for travel, enabling easier access to courts across cities and states and improving access to justice.
Connecting Police, Courts, Prisons and Forensics
Digitisation now links the entire criminal justice chain, not just the courts.
Enabling seamless tracking of judicial business through digital platforms
Lawyers, litigants, judges and others can now track case status and updates through digital platforms such as apps, the multilingual e-Courts Services Portal, email and SMS. These services have enhanced tracking and transparency, reducing the need for physical visits to courts and easing judicial service delivery.
Improved understanding of legal process through e-SEWA Kendras
E-Sewa Kendras established within court complexes serve as citizen-friendly assistance centres. It iswhere people can get guidance on various legal procedures and processes. These kiosks provide the following facilities:
Advancing Digital Justice through Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
AI and Machine Learning in High Courts through 2027 is the next step under Phase III of the Mission. Rs. 53.57 crore of the total Rs. 7,210 crore outlay has been earmarked for this development. Legal research, case management, transcriptions, translations, and judicial decision-making support get enhanced with the integration of these technologies.
Key initiatives which are under pilot testing include:
An Overhauled Judicial System
The e-Courts Mission has modernised and digitised India's judicial system. It has replaced tedious processes - in-person court visits and physical paperwork - with something far easier, more trackable and more efficient. New AI tools are helping various stakeholders work more effectively. Through these interventions, anyone can access judicial services from anywhere. Justice delivery is now more transparent, faster and more affordable for the public.
A More Accessible, Transparent and Efficient Judiciary
The e-Courts Mission has transformed a traditionally paper-heavy, process-driven and opaque judiciary into a more accessible, transparent, and technology-enabled online system. The National Judicial Data Grid has made pending cases visible for the first time. Over 753 crore pages of old court records have been digitised and made searchable.
With these new tools and technology, the judiciary can handle increased caseloads in an efficient manner. As Phase III progresses through 2027, it is further advancing the vision of a justice system that works for all, regardless of their location or circumstances.
References:
Press Information Bureau:
Ministry of Law and Justice & Others:
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Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
