The Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India, organised a Workshop on “eFiling 3.0: From Process to Practice” today at Hall No. 5, Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The workshop, an initiative under the eCourts Mission Mode Project, brought together officers and representatives of various Ministries and Departments of the Government of India, the Member (Systems) of the eCommittee of the Supreme Court of India and senior officers of the National Informatics Centre (NIC). It aimed to familiarise Government officials with the eFiling 3.0 platform and its practical use.
Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Law and Justice, was the Chief Guest. The programme commenced with the lighting of the lamp by the dignitaries, followed by the National Song and the National Anthem.
In his welcome address, the Secretary (Justice) thanked the Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice for gracing the occasion as the Chief Guest. He described eFiling as a key component of eCourts Phase III, enabling litigants to institute cases electronically from anywhere in the country. He observed that the Government, being one of the largest litigants and a major stakeholder in the judicial system, handles a substantial volume of litigation. He emphasised the importance of aligning Government’s litigation-related processes with the digital systems adopted by courts, so as to facilitate seamless filing, improve access to case-related information and streamline the management of court-related documentation. He noted that eFiling would address the limitations of physical filing by enabling Government officers to institute cases electronically, irrespective of geographical constraints.
The Secretary drew attention to the litigation-management facilities available to Government Departments. He stated that user credentials for eOffice can also be used for eCourts Single Sign-On (SSO), through which government officials can track their cases and that fees can be paid online through ePay from the office. A video on the eCourts Project was also screened.
The Secretary highlighted that despite the Government being the largest litigant, eFiling across Government Ministries/Departments is not uniform. This workshop was therefore planned, under the guidance and support of the Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice, to sensitise officials and facilitate the wider and regular use of eFiling.
Addressing the gathering, the Hon’ble Minister observed that the adoption of new technologies is often accompanied by initial hesitation. Illustrating this through the evolution from the post office to the telephone and subsequently to mobile phones, he emphasised the need for a change in mindset to embrace technological advancements. He further emphasised that eFiling is an integral part of this technological transformation and is here to stay.
The Hon’ble Minister stated that technological interventions should primarily serve the interests of citizens and make public services more accessible and efficient. Highlighting the transformative role of technology in the judicial system, he noted that the introduction of video conferencing in courts has significantly facilitated the expeditious disposal of cases, while saving considerable time and cost. He further emphasised that digital interventions have reduced the need for government officials, advocates and litigants to travel to courts, thereby improving accessibility and efficiency in the delivery of justice. He observed that wider adoption of technology-driven solutions could further help address the challenge of pendency and expedite case disposal. Addressing concerns about the impact of technology on existing work practices, the Hon’ble Minister clarified that artificial intelligence cannot replace human beings and emphasised that technology should be viewed as an enabling tool to reduce human effort, facilitate work and improve efficiency.
Acknowledging that challenges will arise, the Hon’ble Minister called for explaining the technology and creating awareness among stakeholders to achieve ease of living.
The Vote of Thanks was proposed by the Joint Secretary (eCourts), Department of Justice, who thanked the Hon’ble Minister, the Secretary (Justice), the eCommittee, NIC and the participating Ministries and Departments. The Joint Secretary urged participating Ministries and Departments to sensitise their concerned personnel and facilitate the wider and regular use of eFiling 3.0 in their litigation-related work.
The technical sessions, conducted by NIC with practical demonstrations, covered:
Functioning of eCourts: an overview of the applications and services under the eCourts Project;
eCourts Single Sign-On (SSO) and the eCourts Services Mobile App;
eFiling 3.0: features and functions, including the facilities available to Government Pleaders and Government Departments; and
an open discussion with participating officers.
The workshop reaffirmed the Department of Justice’s continued efforts under eCourts Phase III towards end-to-end digital and paperless courts and citizen-centric judicial eServices, including the universal adoption of eFiling across all courts.