Status of Computerization at District Court
• Video Conferencing – Due to Covid 19, Court proceedings were being conducted through the Video Conferencing. Process for procurement of Web Camera and Display System for the 305 numbers of District & Subordinate Courts of the State has completed. Till the month of October 2022 total 31642 cases have been heard in the District & Subordinate Courts of the state. Now District & Subordinate Courts of the State are working in hybrid mode. Display Systems also been provided for the convenience of video conferencing to all the Courts.
Every Saturday undertrials are not brought to Courts. Court proceedings are done through V.C saving time and money. Court proceedings, hybrid VC, hybrid lok adalat, VC for victims, VC for mediation cell are conducted through Video Conferencing. A separate display system for advocates to see the person joined through VC is also been installed. Each court room has a dedicated Fiber connectivity to facilitate smooth video conferencing.
• Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) – ICJS has already been implemented in all the Court complexes of the state. The Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) is an initiative of the e-Committee to enable seamless transfer of data and information among different pillars of the criminal justice system, like courts, police, and jails from one platform.
• e-Filing – e-Filing facilities has been started at all the District & Sessions Courts to enable electronic filing of legal papers. Using e-filing, cases (both civil and criminal) can be filed before the High Courts and District Courts that have adopted e-Filing systems. Introduction of e-Filing is aimed at promoting paperless filing and saving time and cost by adopting technological solutions to file cases before courts in India. Very soon e-filing will be migrated to e-filling 3.0.
• e-Pay – e-Pay facilities has been started at High Court and District & Sessions Courts of the State. Direction has been given to all the District & Subordinate Courts of the State to ensure maximum use of e-Payment in the courts of the District. E-Pay facilities enabling online payment of court fee, fine, penalty and judicial deposits. The e-Payment portal is also integrated with state-specific vendors SBI ePay.
• e-Sewa Kendra – e-Sewa Kendras started in the District & Sessions Court Rajnandgaon in the month of May 2020, as pilot location. It enables litigants to obtain information with respect to case status. Chairman of District Court Computer Committee of each District Courts of the State are nominated as Nodal Officers to establish e-Sewa Kendra at their respective Districts. Process has begin and very soon these facility will be available in all the District Courts. Presently hardware provided for the Helpdesk Counters are being used for providing the services of eSewa Kendra in the remaining districts.
• Virtual Court – Virtual Court for hearing traffic case was started from the month of March 2021 in the District court, Raipur. Now the traffic cases are being heard virtually. It is a concept aimed at eliminating presence of litigant or lawyer in the court and adjudication of the case online. Process has begin and very soon these facility will be available in Ambikapur, Bastar,Durg, and Bilaspur.15
• Accessible Website of the District Court – Direction has been given to all the District Courts to constitute the Accessibility Committee in regard to make more accessible the Judicial System for Visually Challenged and almost all the Districts have made the necessary changes.
• NSTEP – NSTEP Implemented in all the courts of State for serving the summons. Smart phones have been purchased and distributed to 250 nos. of process servers/bailiff posted at various Districts & Subordinate Courts. Training has been provided to all the process servers/bailiff for effective implementation of N-STEP Software at ground level.
• DG Sets – S.No. Item Target Achievement
S.No. | Item | Target | Achievement | Usage |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | DG Sets | 88 | 90 (As Durg and Kondagaon have been provided 2-2 sets as they have two buildings) | Yes |
• Solar Power Plant – Funds of Rs. 57,54,000/- was received from the Hon’ble e-Committee, Supreme Court of India for installation of Solar Power Plant at Six Court Complexes of the State and same was handed over to CREDA Raipur. Solar Power Plant having total capacity of 28 kWh and a total of 59060 kWh units of power has been generated since installation (from the year 2017) and approx. Rs. 444456/- has been saved by generating power.
• Implementation of Access to Justice SMS Facilities – SMS Facilities available-88 out of 88 Court Complexes.
• Broadband connection at the residence of Judicial Officers – Funds for providing Broadband connection at Residence of Judicial Officers have been allotted to the all District & Sessions Court of the State.
• CIS(Case Information System) – CIS 3.2 were installed in all the Courts of the State and same is running successfully.
• Inventory software at District Courts – Earlier Inventory Software was provided to all the District Courts of the State for proper management of Computer Articles and entries are being done by the District Courts.16
• National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) – Direction has been given to all the District & Sessions Judge of the State for the entry of reasons of delay, It is reported by some Districts that some reasons for delay are not available in the delay management module. An email has been sent to eCommittee with a request to add required reasons for delay by mentioning reasons of delay which are needs to be added in delay management.
• Digital Signature – Digital Signatures were provided to the Judicial Officers of the State to upload orders/Judgments in CIS Software. So that, Lawyers/Litigants can get the Digitally Signed Orders/Judgments and presently the renewal of the same are going on.
• Kiosk – Touch based KIOSK Information machines were installed in all Court Complexes of the State in the Year 2017.
• Bio Metric Identification – Bio Metric machines were installed in all the Courts of the State with the face reading facility. Accessible Website of the High Court – It has been updated according to accessibility parameters and necessary steps have been taken up in regard to make High Court website more accessible for Visually Challenged.
• Online Right to Information (RTI) – Orders passed by Public Information Officer and Order of First Appellate Authority are being uploaded in the Website of the High Court of Chhattisgarh, Bilaspur related to Order of and also Right to information rules have already been uploaded in the Website of the High Court of Chhattisgarh, Bilaspur.
• Online e-Gate Pass software has been launched for the benefit of citizens and also to restrict gathering of crowd at the entry gate of the High Court. e-Gate Pass can be obtained online and same can be verified at the time of entry in the Court premises. Mobile app of the same purpose has also been developed. The same will be available after completion of security audit.
• Mobile App for Chhattisgarh State Legal Services Authority has been developed through which following information/facility can be accessed :
1. Information about Schemes of NALSA & SLSA.
2. Information about legal awareness camps.
3. Information about Helpline numbers, Penal Lawyers and Legal Services Authorities.
4. Seeking information by asking a question.
5. Complaint filing & Feedback facility.
6. Notification regarding upcoming events, etc.
Online Court View Display is available on the website of the High Court to show status on real time basis the serial number of the case that is being taken up.
• Way ahead –
• Paperless Courts- Process for procurement of hardware for paperless court is under process. Software development for paperless court is also under process and very soon paperless court will be started in the High Court of Chhattisgarh, Bilaspur (C.G.).
• Live Streaming of Court Proceedings . Process for procurement of hardware for livestreaming of court proceeding is completed. Very soon livestreaming of court proceeding will be started in the High Court.
9. Digitization of Judicial Records – The work of scanning and digitization of disposed off records was started in the High Court from the year 2017 and more than 2.5 Crore pages of legacy files( Disposed cases ) have been scanned and digitized. For Digitization of pending cases Planning and preparation has started. State Government has not provided the fund for the Digitzation and scanning in District & Subordinate Courts. The same will be done in the district as soon as funds are received.
10. Fund Utilization –
Total Funds Received till date - 27,30,68,300/-
Funds utilized till date - 26,82,08,250/-
After Projects under process remaining in the High Court - 04,58,558/- (Details in annexure-H)
(Funds Utilization Certificate have been already sent to eCommittee, Supreme Court of India.)