Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said the third phase of the e-courts project will build on the gains of the earlier two phases, which proved instrumental in delivering justice during the COVID-19 pandemic when courts were under lockdown protocol. file | Photo Credit: PTI
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday allocated Rs 7,000 crore for the launch of the third phase of the eCourts project seeking efficient administration of justice.
In a series of tweets, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Finance Minister as well as Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, who headed the e-committee of the Supreme Court.
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“This will ensure “ease of justice” and further improve the justice delivery system, which Hon’ble PM @narendramodi ji has always envisioned,” Mr Rijiju tweeted.
“I also place on record my appreciation for the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India, Dr. D.Y. Chandrachud, who as the Chairman of the e-Committee of the Supreme Court of India, has played a key role in the success of the first phases of the e-Courts project and who personally Supervised and advised on formation of DPR. [Detailed Project Report] of the third phase of the project,” he said.
The Minister said that the third phase of the e-courts project would build on the gains from the earlier two phases, which proved instrumental in delivering justice during the COVID-19 pandemic when the courts were under lockdown protocol.
“The project envisages various pioneering initiatives such as: Digital and Paperless Courts, which aims to bring court proceedings under digital format in the court, thereby limiting the use of paper and speeding up disposal of cases, Online Courts which Focuses on eliminating presence of litigants or lawyers in court, expanding the scope of virtual courts beyond adjudication of traffic violations,” Mr Rijiju said in tweet.
The minister said the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning will allow data analysis to work towards reduction in pendency and understand litigation patterns and anticipate future needs.
He said 4,400 fully functional e-Seva Kendras would provide assistance to all lawyers and litigants, live streaming of court hearings would bring more transparency in judicial proceedings.
Digitization of all court records will pave the way for a completely paperless environment in future. Shri Rijiju said, “An online dispute resolution platform will encourage alternative dispute resolution and a robust video conferencing system will create seamless connectivity between prisons and courts, enabling all bail appearances to be held on VCs.”