SC will share cause lists, info about filing and listing of cases through WhatsApp: CJI

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday announced yet another revolutionary step of integrating WhatsApp with its IT Services to ensure advocates receive automated messages about filing of cases, cause lists, and other information.

"This small initiative will have a bing bang impact," Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said.

Launched in the diamond jubilee year of the apex court, the initiative is aimed at strengthening the right to access to justice and enhancing transparency in the judicial system at the Supreme Court, an official said.

Emphasising the importance of ICT, the CJI said, now more and more lawyers will have access to our courts.

"In the 75th year supreme court launches an initiative to strengthen access to justice. Even people from remote areas can access simple cases involving citizen issues as well. We are also migrating all our services into Meghraj cloud 2.0 which is the cloud infra created by NIC. Now all courts can go online as earlier there were only restrictions. The data is all preserved on servers in India," the CJI said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, also termed the step of the SC as "one more revolutionary" initiative. The top court has seen a steady stream of promising reforms in the last year.

In a lighter vein, Justice Hrishikesh Roy pointed out that as per the Chief Justice of India said, more and more digital devices one uses, they tend to look more and more young.

"This facility is yet another digital initiative under the leadership of Hon’ble the Chief Justice of India, Dr D Y Chandrachud and will go a long way in saving paper and conservation of our planet," the official said.

He said through this service, Advocates-on-Record, Party-in-Person will receive automated messages regarding- Electronic filing; Cause list; Orders, Judgments.

"All members of the Bar and the Registry officials will be able to receive cause list as and when published by the Registry. Automated messages through WhatsApp will be received on successful filing of cases, notification about objections being marked by the Registry in the cases filed, and subsequent registration of cases. Further, in addition to accessing orders, judgments, through the website, now stakeholders will receive the same on their mobile devices," the official said.

The official also released the WhatsApp number for the purpose which would be neither a call-back nor reply-back number.