A Renaissance Moment for India Judiciary

This project is an endeavour to digitize the judicial system of India. The government did roll out an initiative known as the ‘The eCourts Mission Mode Project’. However, the objectives of this government backed project have not been materialized. We aspire to run stringent due diligence on the utilization of the funds released by the government for this purpose. Allocating the right funds at the right place, scouting and mentoring technology-based startups who will play a pivotal role in making the establishment and functioning of E-courts in India. The department of Justice at the Ministry of Law and Justice of the Government of India initiated a pilot project called the ‘The eCourts Mission Mode Project’. The aim of this project is to utilize the current innovations and technology to make judicial systems transparent, automated, rapid and more accessible. ‘The eCourts Mission Mode Project’ was started with a profound vision to deploy technological advancements of the new age to make legal processes economical, efficient and reliable, in order to amplify the productivity and output of the judicial cases throughout the nation. The E-court project aims at:

• Automating and digitizing workflow in all courts at all levels.

• Implementing video conferencing facilities in courtrooms

• Interconnecting all courts in the country to the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG).

• Introducing electronic filing, e-payment and use of mobile applications with a user-friendly interface in all courts.

• Touch screen based kiosks in each court complex, full computerization of State and district level judicial and service academies and centers.

The project commenced in 2010 and leaped into its Phase 1 (2010-2015). The phase 1 was granted a fund outlay of Rs. 639.41 Crores. In phase 1 of the project, computerized complexes, computer server rooms and judicial service centres were set up for computerization of all district courts. Many websites of district courts were launched. Many District System Administrators are said to have been trained for case information systems. But the question arises- how effectively have the funds been used? Phase 2(2015-2019) of ‘The eCourts Mission Mode Project’ saw the light of the day with a massive budget of Rs. 1670 Crores, of which Rs. 1078 Crores have been released till date to realize its objective: To connect all digitized court complexes with jails. To record real-time evidence in very sensitive cases and installation of judicial knowledge management system by introducing digital libraries with case studies. The phase 2 primarily aims to enhance the service delivery to litigants, lawyers and stakeholders. But is the project really seeing the light of the day? Are its objectives actually being realized and materialized?