SC refuses to bring tribunals in e-courts project to upgrade digital infra

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a plea seeking to include tribunals in the e-courts project aimed at upgrading the digital infrastructure of courts across the country.

The public interest litigation said quasi-judicial panels like the Armed Forces Tribunal and the National Green Tribunal should be made part of the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG).

The NJDG falls under the e-courts project that pertains to the formulation of a national policy on the computerisation of the country's judiciary. It is monitored and funded by the Department of Justice of the Law Ministry.

The NJDG portal is a national repository of data relating to cases instituted, pending, and disposed of by the courts across the country.

"You may approach the Department of Justice regarding this. The NJDG is part of the e-courts project. It looks at district courts, the high courts and the Supreme Court and this does not look at tribunals at all, the CJI said.

The bench made clear that it cannot impinge the contours of the project.

The bench said, "Rs 7,000 crore was allocated for the courts and not for the tribunals. The moment we say the tribunals will be brought under it then the funds will be spent on tribunals as well."

"Today there is no administrative sanction for the tribunals under the e-courts project. So, the tribunals cannot come under it now.

"The plea to bring tribunals under the NJDG cannot be accepted since it is a project under the e-courts project. The petitioner can avail other remedies it has under law and can approach the government as well," it ordered.

The bench, however, permitted the PIL petitioner to approach the central government seeking the computerisation of tribunals.