To give further boost to ease of justice through digital technology, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the e-Courts Project Phase III as a Central Sector Scheme, spanning four years from 2023, with a financial outlay of Rs 7,210 crore.

Announcing this, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur told a press conference that the e-courts project seeks to set up online and paperless courts so that the judicial system can be made easy, affordable, reliable and transparent for citizens.

In line with the prime minister’s vision of “Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas”, the e-Courts Mission Mode Project is the prime mover for improving access to justice using technology.

As part of the National e-Governance Plan, the e-Courts Project is under implementation since 2007 for ICT enablement of the Indian Judiciary, the Phase II of which concluded this year. The Phase III of the e-Courts Project in India is rooted in the philosophy of “access and inclusion.”

Taking the gains of Phase-I and Phase-II to the next level, the e-Courts Phase-III aims to usher in a regime of maximum ease of justice by moving towards digital, online and paperless courts, through digitization of entire court records, including legacy records.

Cloud storage will be set up to store evidence, case records and software applications, Thakur said.

He said the Phase-III will bring in universalization of e-Filing/e-Payments through saturation of all court complexes with 4,400 e-Sewa Kendras. It will put in place intelligent smart systems, enabling data-based decision making for judges and registries, while scheduling or prioritizing 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.

In the first two phases, more than 18,000 courts were computerized in the country. While Rs 640 crore were spent in the first phase, the allocation was raised to Rs 1,670 crores in the second phase.

The third phase will cover computerization, hardware and network connectivity. Cause lists and judgments will be provided online, Mr Thakur said.

The Centrally Sponsored Scheme of e-Courts Phase III is being implemented under the joint partnership of the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice, and the e-Committee, Supreme Court of India, in a decentralized manner, through respective High Courts, to develop a judicial system that would promote ease of justice by making the system more accessible.

The project will ensure that citizens who do not have access to technology can access the judicial services from e-Sewa Kendras, thus bridging the digital divide.

Digitization of court records will lay the foundation for all other digital services in the project. It will enable processes to become more environmental friendly by minimizing paper-based filings and reducing physical movement of documents.

Virtual participation in court proceedings will be possible, thus reducing costs associated with court proceedings, such as travel expenses for witnesses, judges, and other stakeholders.

Payment of court fees, fines and penalties will be possible from anywhere, anytime. Expansion of e-Filing will reduce the time and effort required to file documents, thereby minimizing human errors as documents are automatically checked and also prevent further creation of paper based records.

Latest technologies like Al and its subsets Machine Learning (ML), Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Natural Language Processing (NLP) will be used 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. There will be smart scheduling, 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.

There will be expansion of virtual courts beyond the adjudication of traffic violation cases, thereby eliminating the presence of litigant or lawyer in the court. Accuracy and transparency in court proceedings will be enhanced.

Automated delivery of court summons will be emphasised by expansion of the NSTEP (National Serving and Tracking of Electronic Processes), hence drastically reducing the delays in trials.

The use of emerging technologies in court processes will make them more efficient and effective, hence contributing significantly towards reduction in pendency of the cases.