Lok Sabha Question No. 3083 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-09
Subject: Virtual Courts
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Shri Mahendra Singh Solanky, Dr. Vinod Kumar Bind, Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Shri Anurag Sharma

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3083 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 9 th AUGUST, 2024

## Virtual Courts

3083. Dr. Vinod Kumar Bind:

Shri Mahendra Singh Solanky:

Shri Anurag Sharma:

Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi:

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

- (a)
- whether the  Government  has  expedited  the process to improve  the Infrastructure of existing virtual courts in the country;
- (b)  if so, the details of the actions taken;
- (c)    whether  the  Government  has  taken  steps  to  widen  the  scope  of  virtual courts to address the issue of long pendency of cases;
- (d)  if so, the details thereof; and
- (e)   if not, whether the Government is planning to take steps for the same and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

(a) & (b) : The Virtual Courts, an initiative of eCommittee, Supreme Court of India  is  a  concept,  aimed  at  doing  away  with  the  presence  of  a  litigant  or lawyer in the court and for adjudication of cases on a virtual platform. This concept has been evolved to efficiently utilize court resources and to provide litigants  with  an  effective  avenue  to  settle  disputes.  Currently,  the  virtual courts are handling cases pertaining only to traffic challan cases, which have

not only reduced the costs of litigation but have also simplified the procedure for redressal of traffic challan cases. Over 5.26 crore cases (5,26,53,142) have been  handled  by  28  virtual  courts  and  in  more  than  56  lakhs  (56,51,204) cases,  online  fines  of  more  than  Rs.  579.40  crore  have  been  realized  till 30.06.2024. The detailed breakup of cases dealt through virtual courts across India  is  at  Annexure-  I.  As  on  30.06.2024,  there  are  28  such  courts  in  21 States  /  UTs  viz.  Delhi  (2),  Haryana,  Chandigarh, Gujarat (2),  Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,  Kerala  (2),  Maharashtra  (2),  Assam,  Chhattisgarh,  Jammu  and Kashmir (2), Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand  (2),  Madhya  Pradesh,  Tripura,  West  Bengal,  Rajasthan  and Manipur (2). However, it is pertinent to mention here that the establishment of Virtual Courts is an administrative matter that falls strictly within the purview and  domain  of  the  concerned  High  Court.  The  Central  Government  has  no direct role in the matter.

(c)  to  (e):  Under  the  eCourts  Project  Phase-III,  there  is  a  provision  of  the establishment  of  an  additional  1150Virtual  Courts  under  the  jurisdiction  of respective High Courts for creating a robust digital infrastructure for which an allocation of Rs. 413.08 crore has been made to assist the courts in tackling the pendency issue.

*****

## Annexure I

Statement  referred  to  in  reply  of  Lok  Sabha  Unstarred  Question  No.3083  for  09/08/2024 regarding the detail breakup of cases dealt through Virtual Courts across the country are as under:

| Statistics of Virtual Courts-30.06.2024   | Statistics of Virtual Courts-30.06.2024   | Statistics of Virtual Courts-30.06.2024   | Statistics of Virtual Courts-30.06.2024   | Statistics of Virtual Courts-30.06.2024   | Statistics of Virtual Courts-30.06.2024   | Statistics of Virtual Courts-30.06.2024   |
|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|
| S.No.                                     | Establishment_Name                        | Receive d                                 | Proceeding Done                           | Contested                                 | Paid Challans                             | Challan Amount                            |
| 1                                         | ASSAM TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT                  | 1,46,396                                  | 1,46,394                                  | 457                                       | 28,690                                    | 1,88,28,902                               |
| 2                                         | CHHATTISGARH TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT           | 768                                       | 757                                       | -                                         | 75                                        | 1,23,300                                  |
| 3                                         | GUJARAT TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT                | 12,42,576                                 | 11,94,181                                 | 2,223                                     | 97,990                                    | 7,63,12,266                               |
| 4                                         | HARYANA TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT                | 16,72,062                                 | 16,19,164                                 | 5,781                                     | 88,279                                    | 7,48,92,151                               |
| 5                                         | HIMACHAL PRADESH TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT       | 3,41,139                                  | 2,47,566                                  | 421                                       | 11,194                                    | 1,59,68,205                               |
| 6                                         | JAMMU TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT                  | 5,11,706                                  | 4,67,206                                  | 3,148                                     | 99,981                                    | 6,39,74,795                               |
| 7                                         | KARNATAKA TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT              | 60,304                                    | 60,269                                    | 173                                       | 52,034                                    | 46,19,97,290                              |
| 8                                         | KASHMIR TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT                | 7,98,559                                  | 7,98,559                                  | 90,305                                    | 1,48,757                                  | 8,23,77,656                               |
| 9                                         | KERALA (POLICE DEPARTMENT)                | 14,81,024                                 | 14,76,145                                 | 3,328                                     | 1,46,773                                  | 7,87,71,217                               |
| 10                                        | KERALA TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT               | 9,86,498                                  | 9,79,303                                  | 4,746                                     | 1,48,240                                  | 19,58,68,157                              |
| 11                                        | MADHYA PRADESH TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT         | 4,18,526                                  | 4,02,171                                  | 390                                       | 18,024                                    | 1,63,83,802                               |
| 12                                        | MAHARASHTRA TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT          | 56,569                                    | 55,108                                    | 20                                        | 2,125                                     | 28,78,505                                 |
| 13                                        | MANIPUR VIRTUAL COURT (TRAFFIC)           | 1                                         | -                                         | -                                         | -                                         |                                           |
| 14                                        | MANIPUR VIRTUAL COURT (TRANSPORT)         | 1                                         | -                                         | -                                         | -                                         |                                           |
| 15                                        | MEGHALAYA TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT              | 519                                       | 439                                       | -                                         | 40                                        | 30,100                                    |
| 16                                        | NOTICE BRANCH DELHI TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT    | 1,94,11,24 9                              | 1,91,65,326                               | 93,672                                    | 18,34,274                                 | 1,31,43,08,956                            |
| 17                                        | Odisha Traffic CTC-BBSR Commissionerate   | 5,54,252                                  | 5,02,939                                  | 952                                       | 33,048                                    | 3,12,96,001                               |
| 18                                        | PUNE TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT                   | 6,079                                     | 6,055                                     | 23                                        | 630                                       | 1,18,100                                  |
| 19                                        | RAJASTHAN TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT              | 37,712                                    | 33,952                                    | 2,468                                     | 12,030                                    | 84,72,671                                 |
| 20                                        | TAMIL NADU TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT             | 2,11,314                                  | 1,68,848                                  | 1,542                                     | 99,720                                    | 92,67,59,190                              |
| 21                                        | TRIPURA TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT                | 3,393                                     | 3,390                                     | 5                                         | 1,118                                     | 2,51,200                                  |
| 22                                        | UTTAR PRADESHTRAFFIC DEPARTMENT           | 1,71,86,99 0                              | 1,39,66,214                               | 75,751                                    | 9,18,416                                  | 52,03,10,541                              |
| 23                                        | UTTARAKHAND TRAFFICDEPARTMENT             | 21,332                                    | 18,443                                    | 58                                        | 1,358                                     | 15,56,101                                 |
| 24                                        | UTTARAKHAND TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT          | 5,139                                     | 4,430                                     | 11                                        | 265                                       | 3,91,700                                  |
| 25                                        | VIRTUAL COURT CHANDIGARH                  | 5,17,576                                  | 5,17,576                                  | 651                                       | 37,859                                    | 3,64,35,511                               |

| 26   | VIRTUAL COURT DELHI (TRAFFIC)     | 66,10,708    | 65,25,720   | 1,23,288   | 18,40,327   | 1,77,54,83,752   |
|------|-----------------------------------|--------------|-------------|------------|-------------|------------------|
| 27   | VIRTUAL COURT GUJARAT (TRANSPORT) | 1,85,196     | 1,75,403    | 866        | 21,512      | 8,57,35,405      |
| 28   | WEST BENGAL TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT    | 1,85,554     | 1,78,463    | 837        | 8,445       | 45,07,952        |
|      | Total                             | 5,26,53,14 2 | 4,87,14,021 | 4,11,116   | 56,51,204   | 5,79,40,33,426   |
|      | Previous                          | 5,08,99,60 8 | 4,69,94,627 | 3,94,169   | 54,72,772   | 5,61,09,43,942   |