Digital courts can help clear backlog of cases: Kerala HC judge

Srinagar: Digital courts can speed up the process of clearing the backlog of cases, which will lead to reinforcing the people’s trust in the country’s legal system, Justice A Muhamed Mustaque of the Kerala High Court said here on Sunday.
Justice Mustaque also highlighted the four principles of digital accessibility — perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. He was addressing a two-day North Zone-I Regional Conference on “Court Dockets: Explosion & Exclusion” that concluded here on Sunday.
The event was organised by the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal and hosted by the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and the Jammu and Kashmir Judicial Academy.
Justice Mustaque, through a Powerpoint presentation, discussed bridging the digital divide and the role of e-services. He underscored the importance of inclusivity and accessibility in leveraging technology for a robust justice delivery system.
The judge stressed that the amalgamation of technology with the judicial processes promises to enhance efficiency, capability, accessibility, and transparency in the journey of justice.
Supreme Court judge Justice Rajesh Bindal highlighted that inadequate equipment and infrastructure were persistent issues affecting all judicial stakeholders including judges, lawyers and litigants.
He said it is imperative to consider robust internal regulations for three primary stakeholders: judges, lawyers, and litigants.
It should address unequal access to devices and technological infrastructure, issues related to bandwidth and connectivity, and varying levels of proficiency and familiarity with technology so that the delivery of justice is equitable in the true sense of the term, he added.
Supreme Court judge Justice N Kotiswar Singh said case management provides the immediate need for preventing futile backlogs, providing swift justice, dealing with backlogs with a more determined effort and creating an atmosphere of joint venture between judges, lawyers, litigants and administrative officers.
He said the judges must keep track of the case by adhering to the schedules and see that no unreasonable time should be allowed to be wasted for service of the process and filing of the written statements.