Lok Sabha Question No. 3736 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-11
Subject: Modernisation of Courts
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Dushyant Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE (DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3736

## TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 11 th  AUGUST, 2023

## Modernisation of Courts

## 3736. SHRI DUSHYANT SINGH:

Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is taking measures to modernise the courts aligning with the technological requirements, especially equipments for virtual hearings;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the budgetary allocation for the same and the timeline, if any for modernisation of courts;
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor;
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  steps  to  reform  the Revenue courts with necessary resources and infrastructure for their effective and efficient working; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE; MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE

## (SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

(a)  to  (c):  As  a  part  of  the  National  eGovernance  Plan,  the  Government  has launched eCourts Mission Mode Project which is under implementation for ICT development of the District & Sub-ordinate courts in the country based on the 'National  Policy  and  Action  Plan  for  Implementation  of  Information  and Communication Technology in the Indian Judiciary'. It is being implemented by  the  Department  of  Justice  in  association  with  the  e-Committee  Supreme

Court of India. Phase I (2011-15) was aimed at basic computerization of courts and  providing  local  network  connectivity  under  which  a  total  expenditure  of Rs.639.41 crore was done. It was concluded in 2015 in which 14,249 Court sites were computerized. Phase II of the project started in 2015 with an outlay of Rs. 1,670 crore out of which a sum of Rs.1668.43 crore has been released by the Government which includes a sum of Rs. 111.29 crores released for installation of video conferencing infrastructure. 18,735 District & Subordinate courts have been  computerised  till  Phase  II.  In  the  eCourts  Project,  the  Government  has taken the following initiatives to make justice accessible and available for all using technology: -

- i. Under the Wide Area Network (WAN) Project, connectivity has been provided  to  99.4%  (2976  out  of  earmarked  2994)  of  total  Court Complexes across India with 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps bandwidth speed.
- ii. National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) is a database of orders, judgments, and  cases,  created  as  an  online  platform  under  the  eCourts  Project.  It provides  information  relating  to  judicial  proceedings/decisions  of  all computerized  district  and  subordinate  courts  of  the  country.  Litigants can access case status information in respect of over  23.58 crore cases and more than 22.56 crore orders / judgments (as on 01.08.2023).
- iii. Case Information Software (CIS) based on customized Free and OpenSource  Software  (FOSS)  has  been  developed.  Currently  CIS  National Core Version 3.2 is being implemented in District Courts and the CIS National Core Version 1.0 is being implemented for the High Courts.
- iv. As part of eCourts project, 7 platforms have been created to provide real time information on case status, cause lists, judgements etc. to lawyers/Litigants  through  SMS  Push  and  Pull  (2,00,000  SMS  sent daily),  Email  (2,50,000  sent  daily),  multilingual  and  tactile  eCourts services Portal  (35  lakh  hits  daily),  JSC  (Judicial  Service  centres)  and Info Kiosks.  In addition, Electronic Case Management Tools (ECMT) have been created with Mobile  App  for lawyers (total 1.88 cr.

downloads  till  30 th June  2023)  and  JustIS  app  for  judges  (19,164 downloads till 30 th June 2023).

- v. The India emerged as a global leader in Video Conferencing. The High Courts (78,69,708 cases and Subordinate Courts 1,98,67,081 cases) have conducted  2.77  crore  virtual  hearings  till  30.06.2023.  The  Hon'ble Supreme Court of India held 4,82,941 hearings through video conferencing till 31.05.2023. One video conference equipment each has been provided to all Court Complexes including taluk level courts. VC facilities  have  also  been  enabled  between  3240  court  complexes  and corresponding 1272 jails. Funds for 2506 VC cabins and VC equipment for 14,443 courtrooms have also been released. 1500 VC licenses have been procured to promote virtual hearings.
- vi. Live Streaming of court proceedings has been started in High Courts of Gujarat, Gauhati, Orissa, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Patna, Madhya Pradesh &Constitutional Bench  of Hon'ble Supreme  Court of India thus allowing media and other interested persons to join the proceedings.
- vii. 22 Virtual Courts in 18 States/UTs have been operationalized to handle traffic challan cases. More than 3.26 crore cases have been handled by 22 virtual courts and in more than 39 lakhs (39,16,405) cases online fine of more than Rs. 419.89 crores has been realized till 30.06.2023.
- viii. New e-filing system (version 3.0) has been rolled out for the electronic filing  of  legal  papers  with  upgraded  features.  Draft eFiling rules  have been formulated and circulated to the High Courts for adoption. A total of  19  High  Courts  have  adopted  the  model  rules  of  e-Filing  as  on 30.06.2023.
- ix. e-Filing  of  cases  requires  the  option  for  electronic  payment  of  fees which includes court fees, fines and penalties which are directly payable to the Consolidated Fund. A total of 20 High Courts have implemented e-payments  in  their  respective  jurisdictions.  The  Court  Fees  Act  has been amended in 22 High Courts till 30.06.2023.

- x. To bridge the digital divide,  819 eSewa Kendras have been rolled out with  the  intention  of  facilitating  the  lawyer  or  litigant  who  needs  any kind of assistance ranging from information to facilitation and eFiling.
- xi. In  addition  to  eSewa  Kendras,  as  part  of  the  DISHA  (Designing Innovative  Solutions  for  Holistic  Access  to  Justice)    scheme    the Government of India has launched Tele Law program since 2017, which provides  an  effective  and  reliable  e-interface  platform  connecting  the needy and disadvantaged sections seeking legal advice and consultation with panel lawyers via video conferencing, telephone and chat facilities available  at  the  Common  Service  Centres  (CSCs)  situated  in  Gram Panchayat and through Tele-Law mobile App.
- xii. National  Service  and  Tracking  of  Electronic  Processes  (NSTEP)  has been  launched  for  technology  enabled  process  serving  and  issuing  of summons. It has currently been implemented in 28 States/ UTs.
- xiii. A new 'Judgment Search' portal has been started with features such as search by Bench, Case Type, Case Number, Year, Petitioner/ Respondent Name, Judge Name, Act, Section, Decision: From Date, To Date and Full Text Search. This facility is being provided free of cost to all

The eCourts Phase II formally came to an end on 31st March 2023. 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.  The  Government  of  India, in  the  Union  Budget  20232024, announced Rs. 7000 crores for Phase-III of e-Courts project. Based on the Detailed Project Report approved by eCommittee, Supreme Court of India, the Expenditure Finance Committee  in  its meeting  held on 23.02.2023 has recommended eCourts Phase III with a total outlay of Rs.7210 Crore. Further, the Empowered Technology Group chaired by the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister in its meeting held on 21.06.2023 has also recommended the eCourts Phase III for approval.

(d)  and  (e)  :  The  Revenue  Courts  are  not  covered  under  the  eCourts  Mission Mode Project. They are under the domain of respective State Government and the Government of India has no direct role in their upgradation and modernization.

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