13 Sep 2023 2:21 PM GMT
The Union Cabinet today approved the e-Courts Project Phase III as a Central Sector Scheme spanning four years (2023 onwards) with financial outlay of Rs.7210 crore, stated the Union Ministry of Law and Justice in a post in X(formerly Twitter).
"With the Cabinet approval of eCourts Project Phase III, we are ushering in a new era of justice delivery in India. Integrating advanced technology will make our judicial system more accessible and transparent", said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in X. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also posted in X about this development.
The Cabinet, led by PM Shri @narendramodi ji, has greenlit Phase III of the eCourts Project with a significant Rs. 7,210 crore budget, reaffirming its commitment to improving access to justice through technology.#CabinetDecisions
According to a press release by the Press Information Bureau, 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. It will put in place intelligent smart systems enabling data-based decision making for judges and registries while scheduling or prioritizing cases. 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.
➡️ #Cabinet approves the e-Courts Project Phase III as a Central Sector Scheme spanning four years (2023 onwards) with financial outlay of Rs.7210 crore
➡️ e-Courts Phase-III to establish a system that promotes the utmost convenience in the delivery of justice by transitioning… pic.twitter.com/MEGG0qhvyZ
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.
Components of eCourts Phase III are as follows:
S.No.
Scheme Component
Cost Estimate (Total in Rs. crore)
1
Scanning, Digitization and Digital Preservation of Case Records
2038.40
2
Cloud Infrastructure
1205.23
3
Additional hardware to existing courts
643.66
4
Infrastructure in newly set up courts
426.25
5
Establishment of 1150 Virtual Courts
413.08
6
4400 fully functional eSewa Kendra
394.48
7
Paperless Court
359.20
8
System and Application Software Development
243.52
9
Solar Power Backup
229.50
10
Video Conferencing set-up
228.48
11
e- filing
215.97
12
Connectivity (Primary + Redundancy)
208.72
13
Capacity Building
208.52
14
CLASS (Live-Audio Visual Streaming System) in 300 Court Complexes Courtroom
112.26
15
Human Resources
56.67
16
Future Technological Advancements
53.57
17
Judicial process re-engineering
33.00
18
Disabled friendly ICT enabled facilities
27.54
19
NSTEP
25.75
20
Online Dispute Resolution (ODR)
23.72
21
Knowledge Management System
23.30
22
e-Office for High Courts & District Courts
21.10
23
Integration with Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS)
11.78
24
S3WAAS platform
6.35
TOTAL
7210
The expected outcomes of the scheme are as follows: