SC in process to become 'digital court': CJI

Earlier in March, The CJI had said that the apex court will collect all the records electronically from the lower courts and the high courts so that there is no need to file hard copies.

New Delhi, May 10: The Supreme court on Wednesday marked its first step towards becoming a paperless court after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the digital filing system in presence of Chief Justice of India.

According to reports, the system will help litigants access data and retrieve information online about the filing, the court feels, delays etc.

Speaking ta Vigyan Bhavan Chief Justice of India J S Khehar had proposed to integrate the system with all the high courts and the subordinate courts.

"All district and sub-divisional courts across the country will be integrated. All the high courts will be integrated with the Supreme Court by ICMIS software. Integration of all police stations across the country through proper infrastructures," Khehar said.

He said that the system will help usher transparency, reduce manipulation and help the litigant know about the progress of the case on a real time basis.

"The moment you file the appeal in the Supreme Court, all the respective parties would be automatically informed. The moment you file the appeal in the Supreme Court the registry will tell you what the court fees are. The digitized paperbacks will go to the district courts, high court and the apex court" he added.

The CJI assured that nothing can be manipulated with the digital system

"In digital documents, every part of the filing is being monitored. This is the system which will help litigants, lawyers in reducing the time," adding that the system will help the bar and not increase workload.

On March 23, the CJI had said that the Supreme Court will go 'paperless' within six to seven months

The observation on the issue of digitisation of the top court was made when senior advocate Indira Jaising, who had filed a PIL seeking uniform guidelines on designating lawyers as a senior, sought expeditious disposal of her plea by a larger bench.

"Within six to seven months you will not file any paper. We will electronically pick it up to a trial court and high court records and there will be no need of case records being filed afresh in SC," the bench comprising the CJI and Justices D Y Chandrachud and S K Kaul had said.

Justice Khehar had said that the court will soon dispense with the need of filing voluminous documents and paper books as it is in the process of digitising the entire court records across the country.

He said that the apex court will collect all the records electronically from the lower courts and the high courts so that there is no need to file hard copies.

The court has set up a three-judge bench to hear petitions seeking to frame of uniform guidelines for designating lawyers as senior by the apex court and the high courts across the country.

OneIndia News