Today, On 23rd July, The Indian government’s eCourts project has been allocated Rs 1500 crore to digitize court records. This initiative aims to streamline judicial processes and improve accessibility to legal information. The funding will support the modernization of court infrastructure and enhance the efficiency of case management.
New Delhi: The Union Budget for 2024-25 allocated Rs 1,500 crore to the law ministry‘s e-Courts project, specifically for its third phase, which aims to enhance the digital infrastructure of the lower judiciary.
This follows the Union Cabinet‘s approval in September of the previous year for the third phase of the e-Courts project, designated as a central sector scheme with a substantial financial outlay of Rs 7,210 crore.
Spanning over four years, the third phase focuses on comprehensive digitisation, involving both historical and ongoing court records, estimated to cost Rs 2,038.40 crore. Official sources indicated that a total of 3,108 crore documents will undergo digitisation.
A key component of this phase includes migrating the judicial system to cloud technology, with an estimated requirement of 25 petabytes of storage, projected to cost Rs 1,205.20 crore.
Additionally, the project aims to enhance and expand the scope of virtual courts, facilitating remote hearings through a robust digital framework. The establishment of 1,150 virtual courts estimated to cost Rs 413.08 crore.
The e-Courts project, initiated in 2007 as part of the National e-Governance Plan, has been progressively implementing information and communication technology within the Indian judiciary. With the completion of the second phase last year, the third phase now aims to create a unified technology platform.
This platform will ensure a seamless and paperless interface between courts, litigants, and other stakeholders, ultimately enhancing the efficiency and accessibility of the judicial system.
n the previous fiscal year, Rs. 825 crore allocated to a project developed under the National Policy and Action Plan for Implementing Information and Communication Technology. This project, which the union cabinet approved as a central sector scheme on September 13, 2023, has a total budget of Rs.7,210 crore for four years, aligning with the recommendations of the e-committee led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud.
The e-courts project aims to leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning for data analysis and reducing case pendency. It also focuses on establishing virtual courts, eliminating paper case files, and digitizing court records.
For the Ministry of Law and Justice, the total budget allocation is Rs.6,788.33 crore. Out of this, Rs.5,940.95 crore is designated for the departments of law and justice, Rs.525.49 crore for the Supreme Court of India, and Rs.321.89 crore for the Election Commission.
Additionally, Rs.1,000 crore allocated to centrally sponsored schemes for building and maintaining judicial infrastructure. Fast track special courts will receive Rs.200 crore from the Nirbhaya Fund under the National Mission for Safety for Women. The budget for electronic voting machines has been reduced from Rs.2,502.30 crore in the previous fiscal year, which was an election year, to Rs.34.84 crore in the current financial year.
The expenditure for conducting Lok Sabha elections was Rs.1,538.86 crore in 2023-24, and it is Rs.1,000 crore for the current financial year. The total expenditure on elections in 2023-24 was Rs.3,181.02 crore, while the allocation for elections in 2024-25 is Rs.2,418.20 crore.