Supreme Court E-committee headed by Justice Chandrachud Suggests 'Live Streaming; Sharing Digital Transcript of Proceedings' for Phase III of E-Courts Project

Supreme Court E-committee headed by Justice Chandrachud Suggests 'Live Streaming; Sharing Digital Transcript of Proceedings' for Phase III of E-Courts Project

The Supreme Court (SC) e-committee Chairperson Justice Dr. DY Chandrachud has suggested the adoption of 'Live Streaming' and 'Transcription' of Court proceedings for the realization of the full potential of the e-Courts project.

Phase III of the e-Courts project aims to have a judicial system that is more accessible, efficient, and equitable for every individual who seeks justice or is part of the delivery of justice, in India.

It was stated by the committee that 'live streaming or sharing recorded Court proceedings' would ensure better functioning of e-courts. It added that the use of technology enabling transcriptions of Court proceedings can be helpful for courts to realize its' functioning as the 'Courts of record'.

Phase III of the e-courts project has the following highlights-

o Live Streaming- Digital hearings should also be supported by efforts to make the hearing public, and the process transparent. This can be achieved either through live streaming of hearings or where that is not possible, by making records of the proceedings freely accessible to ensure courts retain the 'open courts' principle. This can promote transparency and optimize the time of lawyers, litigants, and judges, whilst shortening the timelines for deciding cases and increasing access to hearings for differently-abled persons.

o Transcripts- Digital transcriptions will provide a precise record of what was said in Court. This will help lawyers and litigants plan their trial plans or appeals, understand the decision, use the transcription as evidence or share with litigants who were not present. It will also enable lawyers and litigants to quickly store, search for, and locate the information they need and increase access to court proceedings for differently-abled persons.

o Virtual Courts- The Committee suggests automation of compounding of offences by payment of challans where the proceeding does not involve the application of mind. For instance, violations of traffic rules, probate proceedings where no objectors enter appearance, small cause money claims, and mutual consent divorce pleas etc.

The aim of the phase III project is 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.

It also focuses on strong frameworks that comprise behavioral nudges, adequate training, and skill set development, feedback loops, along with the requisite mandate of law, etc.