Cabinet approves eCourts phase III with Rs 7,210 cr financial outlay
Sep 13, 2023
New Delhi [India], September 13 : The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in its weekly meeting on Wednesday approved the eCourts Project Phase III.
The project will have a financial outlay of Rs 7,210 crore. The eCourts mission mode project is the prime mover for improving access to justice using technology.
As part of the National eGovernance Plan, the e-Courts project is under implementation since 2007 and Phase II of which has just concluded.
“The main objective of the Phase-III is to create a unified technology platform for the judiciary, which will provide a seamless and paperless interface between the courts, the litigants, and other stakeholders,” the government said.
Citizens who do not have access to technology will be able to access judicial services from eSewa Kendras, thus bridging the digital divide.
Taking the gains of Phase-I and Phase-II to the next level, the e-Courts Phase-III aims 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 including legacy records and by bringing in universalization of e-Filing/ e-Payments through saturation of all court complexes with e-Sewa Kendras.
Virtual participation in the court proceedings will be possible, thus reducing costs associated with court proceedings, such as travel expenses for witnesses, judges, and other stakeholders.
The Centrally Sponsored Scheme of eCourts Phase III is being implemented under the joint partnership of Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice, Government of India and eCommittee, Supreme Court of India, in a decentralized manner through the respective High Courts to develop a judicial system that would promote ease of justice by making the system more accessible, affordable, reliable, predictable, and transparent for all stakeholders.
