NEW DELHI : The interim budget for FY 2024-25 has proposed allocating ₹110.24 crore to 26 high courts as part of the government’s e-courts project.
The e-courts project, which was launched with an allocation of ₹7,000 crore in the Union Budget for FY24, aims to modernize and streamline the judicial system’s functioning. It seeks to facilitate scanning and digitization, establish e-Sewa Kendras, and procure hardware and solar power backup.
The project received approval from the Union Cabinet on 13 September.
“With the approval of the e-committee (of the) Supreme Court of India, the Department of Justice has released ₹102.50 crore for BSNL and NIC Additionally, ₹110.24 crore has been sub-allocated to 26 high courts,” the government said in its budget presentation for FY25.
The e-courts project originated from the ‘National Policy and Action Plan for the Implementation of Information and Communication Technology in the Indian Judiciary 2005’, proposed by the Supreme Court’s eCommittee.
The e-committee, established by the Union government, assists the Chief Justice of India in formulating a national policy on computerization of the Indian judiciary and advises on technological communication and management-related changes.
The first phase of the project, initiated in 2007, involved preparing a large number of court complexes, computer server rooms, and judicial service centres for computerization.
District and taluka court complexes were equipped with hardware and case information software to offer basic case-related services to litigants and lawyers.
Additionally, district courts launched websites, and a change management exercise was conducted to train judicial officers and court staff in using computers.
The second phase, approved in 2014, expanded the project by provisioning additional hardware for covered courts, adopting free and open source solutions, and placing emphasis on service delivery to stakeholders. It also focused on capacity building of judicial officers and process re-engineering.
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Published: 01 Feb 2024, 01:42 PM IST