Lok Sabha Question No. 1439 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-28
Subject: Disposal of Cases in Virtual Courts
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo, Sukanta Majumdar, Bhola Singh, Ganesan Selvam, Manjulata Mandal, C.N. Annadurai, Vinod Kumar Sonkar, Raja Amareshwara Naik, Gautam Gambhir, Rajveer (Raju Bhaiya) Singh, Jayanta Kumar Roy

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1439 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 28 th  JULY, 2023

## Disposal of Cases in Virtual Courts

## 1439 . SHRIMATI SANGEETA KUMARISINGH DEO:

DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR:

SHRI BHOLA SINGH:

SHRI SELVAM G.:

SHRIMATI MANJULATA MANDAL:

SHRI C.N. ANNADURAI:

SHRI VINOD KUMAR SONKAR:

SHRI RAJA AMARESHWARA NAIK:

SHRI GAUTAM GAMBHIR:

SHRI RAJVEER SINGH (RAJUBHAIYA):

DR. JAYANTA KUMAR ROY:

Will the MINISTER OF LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of virtual courts functioning in the country and the number of  cases  handled/disposed  of  by  them  during  the  last  three  years  and current year;
- (b) whether  present  infrastructure  is  adequate  for  smooth  functioning  of virtual courts, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  courts  are  moving  towards  virtual  courts  using  indigenously developed  software  system  for  secured  transmission  of  cases  with courts and counsels having options for accessing them, if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether Government has organized any training/awareness campaigns regarding their functioning, if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether  the  Government  has  invited  proposal  for  research  and  study for  starting  24/7  virtual  courts  to  dispose  of  cases  other  than  traffic challans, if so, the details, aims and objectives thereof; and
- (f) whether there is need for reducing physical presence of advocates and litigants  to  save  judicial  time,  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  steps taken thereon?

## 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) : The software for virtual courts has been developed indigenously by National  Informatics  Centre  (NIC)  eCourts  division,  Pune.  Over  3.26  crore cases (3,26,14,617) 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 crore have been realized  till  30.06.2023.  The  detail  breakup  of  cases  dealt  through  virtual courts  across  India  is  at  Annexure-  I.As  on  30.06.2023,  there  are  22  such courts  in  18  States  /  UTs  viz.  Delhi  (2),  Haryana,  Gujarat,  Tamil  Nadu, Karnataka,  Kerala  (2),  Maharashtra  (2),  Assam,  Chhattisgarh,  Jammu  and Kashmir (2), Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, West Bengal and Rajasthan.

(d)  :  The  eCommittee of the Supreme Court of India has conducted  training programmes  including  training  for  virtual  courts,which  have  covered  nearly 5,13,080  stakeholders,  including  High  Court  Judges,  Judges  of  the  District Judiciary, Court Staff, Master Trainers among Judges/DSA, Technical Staff of High Courts, and Advocates.

(e)  :  Yes.  The  proposals  have  been  invited  under  the  'Scheme  for  Action Research  and  Studies  on  Judicial  Reforms'  for  exploring  the  scope  of expansion for virtual courts as part of Indian justice delivery system.

(f)  :  The  virtual  courts  initiative  has  enabled  adjudication  of  traffic  violation cases on a virtual platform, eliminating the presence of litigant or lawyer in the court. These  courts  have  enabled  litigants  to  pay  their  fines or  contest  the claims 24X7, thus saving time and resources for both the court system and the

litigants. Virtual  courts  also  eliminates physical  presence  of offender/violator in  the  court.  It  reduces  the  number  of  judges  performing  judicial  work  in adjudicating traffic challans. Electronic traffic challans are automatically filed in  virtual  court  for  adjudication.  A  Judge  can  access  the  Virtual  Court application  from  anywhere  or  any  part  of  the  state,  view  the  cases  and adjudicate the cases online.

To eliminate the physical presence of advocates and litigants to save judicial time the following initiatives has been taken by eCourts Mission Mode Project:

- 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 23.34 crore cases and more than 22.21 crore orders / judgments (as on 03.07.2023).
- 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. A new software patch and court user manual for  COVID-19 management  has  also  been  developed.    This  tool  will  help  in  smart scheduling of cases thereby enabling judicial officers to retain urgent cases and adjourn cases not urgent on cause list. A user manual for this patch has also been issued for the ease of the stakeholders.
- v. 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  crore downloads till 30.06.2023) and JustIS app for judges (19,164 downloads till 30.06.2023).

- vi. India  has  emerged  as  a  global  leader  in  conducting  court  hearing through Video Conferencing. The District & Subordinate courts heard 1,98,67,081cases while the High Courts heard 78,69,708cases (totalling 2.77  crore)  till  30.06.2023  using  video  conferencing  system.  The Hon'ble Supreme Court of India held 4,82,941 hearings through video conferencing  till  15.05.2023.  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.
- vii. Live Streaming of court proceedings has been startedin High Courts of Gujarat, Guwahati,  Orissa, Karnataka,  Jharkhand,  Patna,  Madhya Pradesh & Hon'ble Supreme Court of India thus allowing media and other interested persons to join the proceedings.
- 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. It also assists the litigants in accessing online eCourts services and acts as a saviour for those who cannot afford the technology or are located in  far-flung  areas.  It  also  aids  to  addresses  the  challenges  caused  by illiteracy  among  citizens  at  large.  It  will  provide  benefits  in  saving time, avoidance of exertion, travelling long distances, and saving cost by offering facilities of e-filing of cases across the country, to conduct the hearing virtually, scanning, accessing eCourts services etc.
- 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.

*****

## Annexure I

Statement  referred  to  in  reply  of  Lok  Sabha  Unstarred  Question  No.1439  for  28/07/2023 regarding  the  detailbreakup  of  cases  dealt  through  Virtual  Courts  across  the  countryare  as under:

|      | StatisticsofVirtualCourts-30.06.2023   | StatisticsofVirtualCourts-30.06.2023   | StatisticsofVirtualCourts-30.06.2023   | StatisticsofVirtualCourts-30.06.2023   | StatisticsofVirtualCourts-30.06.2023   |                |
|------|----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|----------------|
| S.No | Establishment_Name                     | Received                               | ProceedingDon e                        | Contested                              | PaidChalla ns                          | ChallanAmo unt |
| 1    | ASSAMTRAFFICDEPARTMENT                 | 72415                                  | 72413                                  | 357                                    | 19022                                  | 13159081       |
| 2    | CHHATTISGARH TRAFFICDEPARTMENT         | 101                                    | 87                                     | 0                                      | 37                                     | 81500          |
| 3    | GUJARATTRAFFICDEPARTMENT               | 126716                                 | 74647                                  | 82                                     | 2718                                   | 171300         |
| 4    | HARYANA TRAFFICDEPARTME NT             | 821765                                 | 681342                                 | 1080                                   | 16992                                  | 12638701       |
| 5    | HIMACHALPRADESHTRAFFICDEP ARTMENT      | 81631                                  | 57247                                  | 86                                     | 1954                                   | 4011753        |
| 6    | JAMMUTRAFFICDEPARTMENT                 | 157590                                 | 136152                                 | 880                                    | 38613                                  | 21420590       |
| 7    | KARNATAKA TRAFFICDEPARTMENT            | 47857                                  | 47824                                  | 119                                    | 40576                                  | 338437490      |
| 8    | KASHMIR TRAFFICDEPARTM ENT             | 356434                                 | 356433                                 | 9300                                   | 75231                                  | 41025995       |
| 9    | KERALA(POLICEDEPARTMENT)               | 635792                                 | 625069                                 | 1280                                   | 54717                                  | 28393893       |
| 10   | KERALA TRANSPORTDEPARTM ENT            | 485190                                 | 476054                                 | 2971                                   | 79969                                  | 115151882      |
| 11   | MADHYAPRADESH TRAFFICDEPARTMENT        | 46581                                  | 36028                                  | 57                                     | 1853                                   | 1315300        |
| 12   | MAHARASHTRA TRANSPORTDEPARTMENT        | 40387                                  | 24349                                  | 20                                     | 1449                                   | 2348605        |
| 13   | MEGHALAYA TRAFFICDEPARTMENT            | 437                                    | 314                                    | 0                                      | 33                                     | 20000          |
| 14   | NOTICEBRANCHDELHITR AFFICDEPARTMENT    | 14133187                               | 13712402                               | 77223                                  | 1344606                                | 954951505      |
| 15   | OdishaTrafficCTC- BBSRCOMMISSIONERAT E | 333416                                 | 307908                                 | 627                                    | 20615                                  | 19894001       |
| 16   | PUNETRAFFICDEPARTMENT                  | 6080                                   | 6056                                   | 18                                     | 591                                    | 114250         |
| 17   | RAJASTHAN TRAFFICDEPARTMENT            | 26497                                  | 23650                                  | 892                                    | 9708                                   | 6276170        |
| 18   | TAMILNADU TRAFFICDEPARTMENT            | 162337                                 | 143042                                 | 1333                                   | 78188                                  | 718829890      |
| 19   | TRIPURATRAFFICDEPARTMENT               | 354                                    | 353                                    | 1                                      | 4                                      | 2900           |
| 20   | UTTARPRADESHTRAFFICDE PARTMENT         | 10238520                               | 7569945                                | 28769                                  | 501614                                 | 298422756      |
| 21   | VIRTUAL COURT DELHI(TRAFFIC)           | 4773216                                | 4734431                                | 105500                                 | 1624555                                | 1618662492     |
| 22   | WESTBENGALTRAFFICDE                    | 67940                                  | 64293                                  | 76                                     | 3360                                   | 2039452        |

| PARTMENT   |          |          |        |         |            |
|------------|----------|----------|--------|---------|------------|
| Total      | 32614443 | 29150039 | 230671 | 3916405 | 4198908506 |