BHUBANESWAR: Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said the e-court programme by the Centre is in its last phase of implementation across the country to ensure there is no more demand for setting up additional benches of the High Court as every court will be virtually connected.
Speaking at Nyaya Yajna, the first conference of central governments counsels of eastern states here, he said that Phase III of the e-court programme has started and the Centre has allocated Rs 7,000 crore in the 2023-24 budget.“I have seen the functioning of the e-court in Orissa High Court which deserves praise for its commendable efforts towards ensuring that justice is not delayed and justice is not denied to the common people. Once the work is over across the country, the Indian Judiciary will become paperless,” he said.
Referring to crores of court cases pending in the country, of which the maximum are from lower courts, the law minister said the pendency rate can be reduced by adopting technology. Out of close to 4.9 crore pending cases, around 70,000 cases are in Supreme Court and 10 per cent of cases are in HCs while the rest are pending at the lower level.
“The greatest challenge these days is the lower judiciary. We allocated Rs 9,000 crore last year for strengthening the lower judiciary. We have written to chief justices of all states to ensure every district court function as a bench of the High Court. The district and subordinate courts should function as vibrant as the High Court and Supreme Court,” he said.
Rijiju said the use of mother tongues in court judgments has already been started. In Odisha, Odia should be used in district courts and High Court. The union minister also informed the government is in the process of repealing redundant and obsolete laws. So far, 1486 redundant laws have been removed from statute books. As many as 65 other acts, including eight principal acts, 16 amendment acts and 41 appropriation acts have been proposed to be repealed in the coming session of the Parliament, he added.