Lok Sabha Question No. 188 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-02
Subject: Expenditure for e-Courts
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Beesetti  Venkata Satyavathi

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 188 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 2 nd  FEBRUARY, 2024

## Expenditure for e-Courts

## 188. DR. BEESETTI VENKATA SATYAVATHI

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

- (a) whether there was any expenditure during the last five years on schemes and programmes for introduction of e-Courts in the country;
- (b) the details thereof; and
- (c) 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): The eCourts Mission Mode Project is a national eGovernance project for ICT enablement of district/subordinate courts of the country with a view to facilitate faster disposal of cases by speeding up court processes and providing transparent on-line flow of information on case status, orders/judgments etc. to the judiciary as well as litigants, lawyers and other stakeholders.  The eCourts 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.   Phase  II  (2015-2023)  of  the  project  focused  on  citizen-centric  eservices  besides  computerising  18735  courts  and  interconnecting  these  with wide area network (WAN). Against the financial outlay of Rs.1670 crore in the

phase II of the project, the Department of Justice has released Rs.1668.43 crore for implementation of the project till 31 st March 2022.

The Union Cabinet in its meeting held on 13.09.2023 approved eCourts Phase-III with a budgetary outlay of Rs.7210 crore. Subsequently, Rs. 225 crore has  been  released  for  eCourts  Phase  III  by  the  Ministry  of  Finance  from  the Contingency Fund, out of which Rs. 102.50 crore has been allocated to BSNL and NIC and Rs. 110.24 crore has been sub-allocated to various High Courts for scanning and digitization, e-Sewa Kendras, IT Hardware for existing and newly setup courts, solar power backup etc. The details of expenditure during the last five years, phase-wise is attached at Annexure-I.

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## Annexure-I

Statement  referred  to  in  reply  of  Lok  Sabha  Unstarred  Question  No.188  for  02/02/2024 regarding Expenditure for e-Courts. The details of expenditure during the last five years is;

| Year      | Fund Allocated(Rs. Crore)   | Fund Released(Rs. Crore)   |
|-----------|-----------------------------|----------------------------|
| 2019-20   | 180.00                      | 179.26                     |
| 2020-21   | 180.00                      | 179.31                     |
| 2021-22   | 98.92                       | 98.30                      |
| 2022-23*  | 0.00                        | 0.00                       |
| 2023-2024 | 825 #                       | 212.79**                   |

* For year the 2022-2023 no funds were released as the total outlay of Phase II amounting to Rs. 1670 crore  were  exhausted  and  the  Detailed  Projected  Report  for  Phase  -III  was  under  the  process  of approval.

** Fund released till 10.01.2024.

#  eCourts  Phase-III  was  approved  by  the  Union  Cabinet  on  13.09.2023  and  Ministry  of Finance released Rs. 225 crore from the Contingency Fund of India on 05.10.2023 of which Rs. 102.50crore has been allocated to BSNL and NIC and Rs. 110.24 crore has been allocated to various High Courts. Recently on 08.01.2024 Rs. 600 crore under RE 2023-24 has been received  for  further  allocation  to  different  High  Courts  as  per  the  plan  approved  by  the eCommittee of Supreme of India.