Cabinet clears third phase of e-Courts Project

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the third phase of e-Courts Project, which will cost Rs 7,210 crore over a period of four years, with an aim to bring technology closer to citizens to access justice digitally, making arrangements for e-Filing and facilities for digital payment of court fees, fines and penalties.

At the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the cabinet felt that the e-Courts Phase-III will usher in a regime of maximum ease of justice by moving towards digital, online and paperless courts through digitisation of the entire court records including legacy records and by bringing in universalisation of e-Filing/e-Payments through saturation of all court complexes with e-Sewa Kendras.

"It will put in place intelligent smart systems enabling data-based decision making for judges and registries while scheduling or prioritising cases. The main objective of the Phase-III is to create a unified technology platform for the judiciary, which will provide a seamless and paperless interface between the courts, the litigants and other stakeholders...Phase III of the e-Courts Project in India is rooted in philosophy of 'access and inclusion'," an official statement said.

As part of the National e-Governance Plan, the e-Courts Project has been under implementation since 2007 for ICT enablement of the judiciary, the Phase II of which was concluded in 2023. 

With the implementation of the Phase-III, it is expected that citizens who do not have access to technology can access the judicial services from e-Sewa Kendras, thus bridging the gap created by digital divide.

Another emphasis would be on digitisation of court records which lays the foundation for all other digital services in the project and it would enable processes to become more environmentally friendly by minimising paper-based filings and reducing the physical movement of documents.

Virtual participation in court proceedings will be another goal, which would reduce expenses associated with court proceedings, such as travel expenses for witnesses, judges and other stakeholders. Once it is implemented, payment of court fees, fines and penalties could be deposited from anywhere, anytime.

Expansion of e-Filing is also envisaged for reducing the time and effort required to file documents. This would minimise human errors as documents are automatically checked and also prevent further creation of paper based records.

In Phase III, there will be an emphasis on the use of latest technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its subsets Machine Learning (ML), Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Natural Language Processing (NLP) to provide a smoother user experience by building a "smart" ecosystem. 

"Registries will have less data entry and minimal file scrutiny facilitating better decision-making and policy-planning. It envisages smart scheduling, an intelligent system that enables data-based decision making for judges and registries, allows for greater predictability and optimisation of the capacity of judges and lawyers," the statement said.

Expansion of virtual courts beyond the adjudication of traffic violation cases is another priority area to eliminate the presence of litigants or lawyers in the court.