New Delhi: Launching an integrated case management information system in the Supreme Court which will enable digital filing of cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence that the combination of “information technology” and “Indian Talent” would create “India Tomorrow”. He urged people to adopt technology to remain relevant in changing times.
Speaking at a function at Vigyan Bhavan, Mr Modi said it is a step towards paperless Supreme Court. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also hailed the judiciary for its decision to hear cases during the summer break, and said it would strengthen the sense of responsibility among people towards their work.
Mr Modi recalled the Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar’s appeal at Allahabad on April 2 for the higher judiciary to take up hearings of cases, at least some days during the vacation.
He said the appeal was inspirational, and he has heard very encouraging news in this regard from the Supreme Court and the high courts.
CJI Khehar had asked high court judges to volunteer working for a few days during the summer break for speedy disposal of cases, a step which the Supreme Court had already decided to take.
The CJI had on April 6 written to the chief justices of the 24 high courts, requesting them to work for a few days during summer vacations to bring down the pendency of cases.
Over 61,000 cases are pending in the apex court, while the 24 high courts have 38.70 lakh pending cases, according to the latest law ministry data.
Mr Modi urged lawyers to become part of the pro bono scheme launched by the Law Ministry under which advocates can fight cases for the poor for free.
He said several gynaecologists now offer free services to poor pregnant women on 9th of every month on his request. “42,000 students from IT worked for 36 hours non-stop to give solutions to 400 issues the government had flagged,” he recalled.
The PM termed “unfortunate” the mindset of people relating technology with new hardware. He said in government offices, computers have replaced flower vases, but they are used as show pieces only. “But no one uses (these computers)...Mindset is a problem,” he said.
He said while people go for the latest mobile phones, their use of gadget is limited to “red and green — connect and disconnect — buttons”.
“People send SMS but call up to check whether the other side has received their message,” he said.
He said with a paperless approach, millions of litres of water and thousands of trees can be saved. Ten litres of water is used to make one A4 size paper, he claimed.
Mr Modi uploaded the integrated case information management system, marking the introduction of digital filing.
Introducing the system, the CJI said digital filing of cases would make the judicial system “extremely transparent” and rule out any manipulation of records. Explaining the benefits of the digital filing application, the Chief Justice of India described the initiative as the biggest leap towards introducing technology in the judicial system.
The website aims at integrating the website of all high courts and subordinate courts in the country so that petitions, appeals, applications etc. can be filed through the electronic modem, thus avoid use of paper to make judicial filling system a “paperless”.
The CJI said he intended to put the digital filling process system in place in all the 24 high courts after it is introduced here and would like to see that it takes place in the lower courts across the country.Justice Khehar said this means a litigant will file one case only in his lifetime, insofar as the paper book is concerned.
“This is a process which will ensure absolutely a transparent system. A system which cannot be breached. A system where the documents cannot be manipulated. A system where the records are there for keeps. And for doing this, we do not need to change any rules. This digitised process replaces the pleadings.”
Referring to his observations made during a hearing that he would make the Supreme Court “paperless”, the CJI said the system would be different from the present e-filing process as lawyers will be required to file only the grounds of appeal in the apex court and the remaining judicial files would be automatically transferred. He said he has held discussions with the bar bodies on the issue and have been telling them that it would lessen their work and save their time and effort.
Making a presentation on the application, Shri Justice Khanwilkar said the new initiative would be an illustration of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.”nion Minister for Law and Justice, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad appreciated the Supreme Court for this digital innovation. Senior SC judges Dipak Misra and J. Chelameswar were also present. Appreciating the system, Mr. Modi said that technology had often been equated to hardware in the past, and therefore, it is important to bring about a change in mindset. He said technology can only be embraced collectively within an institution. He said paperless initiatives save the environment, and are therefore a great service for future generations.
Speaking of the benefits of technology, he recalled the recently organized “Hackathon,” where 400 issues across Ministries in the Government of India were identified, and 42,000 students from Indian Universities spent 36 hours in an attempt to solve them. He said that Ministries were adapting many of the outcomes of this exercise. Dwelling on the theme of technology, the Prime Minister spoke of the implications and possibilities that “Artificial Intelligence” could bring about.
The Prime Minister mentioned several occasions in the recent past, when people from various walks of life had come forward to help the poor. In this context, he recalled the success of the “Give-It-Up” movement to give up LPG subsidy. Similarly, he mentioned the initiative taken by doctors across the country to treat poor pregnant women free of cost on the 9th of every month. In the same vein, he urged lawyers to come forward to provide pro-bono legal aid to the poor and needy.
