Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai of the Supreme Court opened India’s first digital court, 24*7 ONCOURTS, on Friday in Kollam to handle matters involving bounced cheques. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was also present at the inauguration.
What is ON COURT?
Cases under the Negotiable Instruments Act will first be handled by the digital court known as the 24/7 ON (Open and Networked) court. All court proceedings including filing case registration admission appearances hearings and the issuance of orders and judgments will be conducted online thanks to this project.
Depending on how well it performs more ON COURTS may open throughout the state. The system will be used to complete every stage of the process online from filing the petition to issuing the judgment. If it is successful it will be repeated for more cases.
Digital Initiatives Inaugurated
The nine new initiatives announced by the Kerala High Court include a learning management system, digital district courts, a model digital courtroom, a We-Solve dispute resolution system and a 24/7 operational virtual court for NI Act cases in Kollam.
Kerala High Courts security-cum-facilitation center Special Court for SC/ST cases in Kochi Special Court for BUDS cases in Alappuzha and CCTV surveillance system in the high court. According to Pinarayi Vijayan, integrating technology into the legal system will facilitate the public’s access to timely justice.
Ministers on Digital Initiatives
“Kerala is going to open the nation’s first digital court”, said Finance Minister KN Balagopal, who also revealed plans to digitize 14 additional courts in the state. Balagopal praised the high court’s operational CCTV surveillance and highlighted the balance between technology and the human element of the legal system.
Kerala Law Minister P. Rajeeve discussed the Digital Empowering Kerala Initiative which aims to improve digital literacy and internet accessibility. He emphasized Keralas resolve to fully adopt digital innovations through its IT policy and the founding of the first digital university noting the state’s high smartphone and internet penetration rate.
