According to a written reply by Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju in response to a query from a member in the Rajya Sabha, Government has launched the eCourts Integrated Mission Mode Project to computerize district and subordinate courts with the aim of improving access to justice using technology.
The project has been implemented since 2007 as part of the National e-Governance Plan, and is based on the “National Policy and Action Plan for Implementation of Information and Communication Technology in the Indian Judiciary.” The eCourts project is being implemented in partnership with the e-Committee Supreme Court of India and the Department of Justice.
Phase I of the project was completed during 2011-2015, and Phase II began in 2015, which has resulted in the computerization of 18,735 district and subordinate courts to date, Rijiju said. Phase II is nearing completion, and the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for e-Courts Phase III has been finalized and approved by the committee established by the Supreme Court on October 21, 2022.
The Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) Meeting was held on February 23, 2023, and other approvals for eCourts Project Phase III are at an advanced stage, the statement added.
Phase III of the project will introduce new features, including digital and paperless courts, online courts, virtual courts, and the use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and optical character recognition (OCR) for case analysis and predicting future litigation, among other initiatives, according to the minister’s written reply.