E-court Mission: Development of digital, paperless online courts in India

As a step towards modernising the court system in the country, the government has launched the eCourt Mission Mode Project that has computerised 18,735 District & Subordinate courts so far

The Centre has launched the E-courts Mission Mode Project as part of a national e-governance plan to modernise the court system in the country.

This comes under the implementation for information and communication technology (ICT) development of the district & subordinate courts in the country based on the "National Policy and Action Plan for Implementation of Information and Communication Technology in the Indian Judiciary".

The Department of Justice executes the project in collaboration with the e-Committee of the Supreme Court (SC).

The government's eCourts Mission Mode Project has made significant strides in leveraging technology for a more accessible and efficient judicial system. With the successful completion of Phase II and the announcement of Phase III, the nation is moving closer to paperless, online courts. Here is an overview of the project so far:

Phase I (2011-15)

Basic computerisation and local network connectivity achieved at an expenditure of Rs 639.41 crore. 14,249 court sites were computerised in this phase.

Phase II (2015-2023)

Focus on further development with an outlay of Rs 1,670 crore. So far, Rs 1,668.43 crore has been released by the government. This includes Rs 111.29 crore, which was released to install video conferencing infrastructure.

18,735 district & subordinate courts were computerised in this phase.

Some of the initiatives taken under this phase to make courts more accessible are:

• Wide Area Network (WAN) Project connects 99.4 per cent of court complexes across India with 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps bandwidth speed.
• National judicial data grid (NJDG) offers access to 235.8 million case information and 225.6 million orders/judgements, as of August 1.
• Case information software (CIS) has been developed for District and High Courts based on customised free and open-source software (FOSS).
• Seven real-time information platforms for lawyers and litigants have been launched through SMS push & pull, email, multilingual eCourts services portal, judicial service system, and information kiosks. This includes real-time information on case status, cause lists, judgements etc. Electronic case management tools (ECMT) have also been created with mobile app for lawyers JustIS app for judges.
• Video conferencing facilities for hearings and proceedings. Up till June 2023, 27.7 million virtual hearings have been conducted.
• Live streaming of court proceedings in Gujarat, Gauhati, Orissa, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Patna, Madhya Pradesh High Courts and the Supreme Court have been started to let concerned parties follow proceedings.
• 22 Virtual courts in 18 States/UTs handling traffic challan cases and collecting fines online have been operationalised.
• e-Filing System: This has been rolled out with upgraded features. A total of 20 High Courts have implemented e-payments.
• eSewa Kendras: 819 centers assisting with legal advice, information, and eFiling have been rolled out.
• Tele Law Programme: This e-interface platform connects disadvantaged sections with panel lawyers via video conferencing, telephone, and chat facilities.
• NSTEP: National service and tracking of electronic processes (NSTEP) is a technology-enabled process serving and issuing of summons implemented in 28 States/UTs.
• A new "Judgment Search" Portal has been launched that allows effective and easy search for cases which is available for free.

Phase III

The eCourt project has planned Phase III which aims to further ease the justice system by moving towards digital, paperless, and online courts. The budget allocation for this phase is Rs 7,000 crore, as announced in Union Budget 2023-2024.

According to the "Detailed Project Report" approved by the e-committee of the Supreme Court, the Expenditure Finance Committee recommended Phase III of the project with a budget outlay of Rs 7,210 crore on February 23. The project is still pending approval.

It should be noted that Revenue Courts are not part of the e-courts Mission Mode Project, as they fall under the jurisdiction of state governments.