The Supreme Court has decided to do away with paper and go digital.
It's nothing less than a paradigm shift in the way that cases are filed and fought in Indian courts. Starting July 3 when a majority of the judges and lawyers return after summer vacation to the Supreme Court, they will encounter a brand new system of filing and fighting cases in India's top courts.
The Supreme Court has decided to do away with paper and go digital. This means from the filing of cases to paying court fees to even printing of visitor passes to witness proceedings, everything will happen electronically.
"The paradigm change is so extensive... this would be the biggest and highest introduction of technology into the judicial system," said Chief Justice of India Jagdish Singh Khehar, who along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior judges of the Supreme Court, inaugurated the system in Delhi today.
While the system will initially cover the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice told the large gathering at Vigyan Bhawan that it would be extended to the High Courts and district courts across the country as well. This means those who are party to the case will automatically get updates such as additional filings, arguments and other updates of a case, which would save both time and paper.
Underscoring the importance of going digital, PM Modi, who was the chief guest, said technology was the future. In a lighter vein, he added that one day, Artificial Intelligence may even dominate.
"Each A4-size paper uses 10 liters of water to make. That means if we adopt paperless working, think of how many trees and forests will be saved. This would be a boon for future generations," PM Modi told the gathering.
Six months after the demonitisation drive, PM Modi also said "at one a time there used to be terracotta, gold, copper and leather currency. Then came paper currency. But now, paper currency is also being replaced with digital currency and we have to be prepared for the future."
Justice Dipak Misra, who will take over from Justice Khehar as the next Chief Justice of India, said, "The reopening day of the court will witness a new era, where a litigant shall feel empowered and well informed... Each member of the bar shall become a cooperative participant in the process of transformation".