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3rd Phase of e-Courts Project

Posted on April 6, 2021 by admin1  1103

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The eCommittee Supreme Court of India released the Draft Vision document for Phase III of the e-Courts Project.

Phase III of the eCourts Project

  • Phase III of the eCourts Project in India is rooted in two central facets—access and inclusion.
  • It envisions a judicial system that is more easily accessible irrespective of geographical distances, efficient and equitable for every individual who seeks justice, makes more efficient use of human and other resources, and absorbs the latest technology for a positive environmental impact.

Vision

  • This vision for Phase III is sought to be built on the following four building blocks:
    • Core Values: Phase III must strive for a modern judicial system, governed by core values of trust, empathy, sustainability and transparency which, while simplifying procedures, will maximise the positives of technology and minimise its risks and challenges.
    • Whole-of-system approach: Phase III must aim to make processes more efficient across all three components of dispute management i.e. dispute avoidance, containment and resolution.
    • Adoption frameworks: Phase III must focus on building strong adoption frameworks.
    • Such frameworks must include behavioural nudges, adequate training and skill set development, feedback loops, along the requisite mandate of law.
  • Governance framework: From a governance perspective, while numerous judicial decisions have validated the use of technology in judicial processes, Phase III must address the accompanying administrative structures.
    • The strategy of Phase III prioritises the creation of a core digital infrastructure that can enable the development of services for dispute resolution by the judiciary and services of solutions for dispute containment and resolution by the ecosystem.
    • Successful operationalization of the goals of Phase III will require careful planning around sequencing, budgeting, procurement, contract management, adoption and change management, and a robust monitoring and evaluation framework.

Earlier Phases of Project

Phase I-

  •  In Phase-I of the eCourts Project beginning from 2007, a large number of Court Complexes, Computer Server Rooms and Judicial Service Centres were readied for computerization of the District Courts.
  • The District and Taluka Court Complexes covered in Phase-I were computerized with installation of hardware, LAN and Case Information Software (CIS), for providing basic case related services to the litigants and the lawyers.

Phase II-

  • It received approval of Hon’ble the Chief Justice of India on 8th January 2014.
  •  In Phase-II, the covered courts are provisioned for additional hardware with (1+3) systems per Courtroom, the uncovered Courts of Phase-I and the newly established Courts with (2+6) systems per Court Room and the Court Complexes are provisioned for hardware, LAN etc.
  • The dynamic implementation structure provides for greater participation and cooperation between the eCommittee, the Department of Justice (Government of India), NIC, DietY and Ministry of finance.
    •  It provides for High Courts as Implementing Agency, of the project under its jurisdiction.
  • The Phase-II of the project lays great emphasis on service delivery to the litigants, lawyers and other stakeholders.

About eCourts Mission Project

  • It is a Pan-India Project that is monitored and funded by the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice for the District Courts across the country.
  • Objectives-
    • To provide efficient & time-bound citizen-centric services delivery as detailed in eCourt Project Litigant’s Charter.
    • To develop, install & implement decision support systems in courts.
    • To automate the processes to provide transparency in the accessibility of information to its stakeholders.
    • To enhance judicial productivity, both qualitatively & quantitatively, to make the justice delivery system affordable, accessible, cost-effective, predictable, reliable and transparent.

eCommittee

  • The eCommittee of the Supreme Court has been overseeing the implementation of the eCourts Project, conceptualized under the “National Policy and Action Plan for Implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Indian Judiciary-2005″.
  • The eCommittee has evolved in terms of its roles and responsibilities over the last fifteen years.
  • A solid foundation for the objectives of the eCommittee has been substantially achieved in the first two phases of the Project.
    • As Phase-II will soon conclude, the Committee initiated steps for preparing a vision document for Phase-III.
  • Objectives: Include interlinking of all courts across the country, ICT enablement of the Indian judicial system, enabling courts to enhance judicial productivity, both qualitatively and quantitatively, making the justice delivery system accessible, cost-effective, transparent and accountable and providing citizen-centric services. 

Source :PIB

 
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