Union Cabinet approved Phase III of the e-Courts Mission Mode Project aimed to usher in a regime of maximum ease of justice by moving towards digital, online and paperless courts through digitization of the entire court records. The e-Courts Project is under implementation since 2007 for ICT enablement of Indian Judiciary as part of National e-Governance Plan. Its phase I & II were implemented during 2011-15 and 2015-23 respectively.
About the e-Courts Phase III
Objective: To create a unified technology platform for judiciary, thus providing a seamless & paperless interface between courts, litigants & other stakeholders.
Type: Central Sector Scheme
Financial outlay: Rs.7,210 crore.
Duration: 4 years (2023 to 2027)
Ministry: Ministry of Law and Justice
Components of e-Court Phase III
- S3WAAS Platform: It will support secure and efficient data storage and access
- Scanning and Digitization: It will process converting physical records into digital format
- e-Seva Kendra: It will offer electronic services and assistance to users
- Cloud Infrastructure: It will provide scalable storage and computing resources
- CLASS System: It will facilitate live audio-visual streaming in courtrooms
- Virtual Courts: It will enable remote court proceedings through digital platforms
Implementation: High Courts (HCs).
- Funds are released to HCs by Department of Justice (Ministry of Law) on recommendation of e-Committee (Supreme Court of India).
- The e-Committee is responsible for the policy planning, strategic direction and guidance for implementation of e-Courts project.
Significance of Digitalization of Courts
- Judicial Modernization: Enables data-driven decisions, fully digitizing justice delivery.
- Reducing case pendency: By integrating emerging technologies like AI, Optical Character Recognition, etc., courts can improve efficiency & reduce pendency.