VIJAYAWADA: In a significant reform, the Andhra Pradesh High Court has introduced new electronic process rules titled the Andhra Pradesh Electronic Processes (Issue, Service and Execution) Rules, 2025, enabling courts to serve summons and warrants directly through digital platforms such as WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, email and other messaging applications on Thursday.
The new set of rules aimed at modernising the delivery and execution of court summons and warrants through electronic platforms. The new regulations, titled the Andhra Pradesh Electronic Processes (Issue, Service and Execution) Rules, 2025, are expected to significantly speed up court proceedings and eliminate delays caused during the manual delivery of notices. Under the new system, courts can now send summons, warrants and other notices directly to accused persons, witnesses and victims through messaging applications such as WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and other electronic platforms, apart from official email IDs.
The move is aimed at preventing excuses such as “I did not receive the summons” or “I was out of station,” which are often cited to delay legal proceedings. Police officials will now be required to submit screenshots or digital proof showing successful delivery of messages to the court. In the case of emails, delivery reports generated by the service provider will be treated as valid legal evidence.
All electronic summons issued by courts will be encrypted and digitally signed either by the judicial officer, court superintendent or an authorised official, ensuring authenticity and security.