SC refuses to involve tribunals in e-courts project to modernise digital infrastructure
The bank made it clear that it cannot affect the contours of the project | (Photo: PTI)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a plea seeking to include courts in the e-courts project, which aims to improve the digital infrastructure of courts across the country.
The public interest litigation argued that quasi-judicial panels such as the Armed Forces Tribunal and the National Green Tribunal should be part of the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG).
The NJDG falls under the e-courts project which involves the formulation of a national policy on the computerization of the country’s judiciary. It is monitored and funded by the Department of Justice of the Law Ministry.
The NJDG Portal is a national database containing information on cases initiated, pending and concluded in courts across the country.
“You can contact the Ministry of Justice in this regard. The NJDG is part of the e-courts project. It looks at district courts, high courts and the Supreme Court and this does not look at tribunals at all,” the CJI said.
The judge made it clear that the contours of the project may not be affected.
The court said, “Rs 7,000 crore was allocated to the courts and not to the tribunals. The moment we say that the tribunals come under it, then the funds are also spent on tribunals.”
“Today there is no administrative sanction for the tribunals under the e-courts project. So the tribunals cannot be covered now.
“The request to bring tribunals under the NJDG cannot be entertained as it is a project under the e-courts project. The applicant can avail other remedies available to him under law and can also approach the government,” it ordered.
However, the court granted permission to the PIL applicant to approach the central government with a request to computerise the courts.
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First print: Jul 24, 2024 | 2:55 PM IST