A new electronic system has been introduced by the Supreme Court which will not charge any fees for printing documents

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Keywords: e-filing, digitized, e-sewa kendra

The new version of the e-Filing software was formally launched by India’s Supreme Court on Friday. It published a test version of the same for crowd testing earlier this month. With the introduction of the new software, litigants and lawyers will be able to file various legal documents, including cases, applications, and miscellaneous papers, as well as pay court fees and monitor any errors in their submissions. Additionally, they will have access to digitized paper books, which they can view and share online. A Public Notice issued by the Supreme Court of Justice says that there will be no charge for printing.

The notice issued by court stated that the newly launched e-filing software will allow Advocates-on-Record and Parties-in-Person to file various legal documents online, pay court fees, monitor any errors in their submissions, access digitized paper-books, and share them with Senior Advocates and other parties through email and SMS notifications. Importantly, there will be no fees charged for printing any documents. This decision has been made by the Competent Authority[1].  On July 22, this year, the old and outdated e-Filing software will no longer be available. In recent years, the e-committee of the highest court, which is headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, has been advocating for the adoption of e-filing systems in courts and tribunals throughout the country. It had instructed all the High Courts in October 2021 to ensure that any case brought by the Government is filed electronically.

The CJI highlighted in September 2022 that digitization of judicial records is a necessary step to achieve the desired results achieved by e-filing. He had also stated that, in the case of hard copies by advocates who have to be digitized by judicial staff, there is an increased carbon footprint[2].

In March of this year, a bench led by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) directed the Debts Recovery Tribunals and Debts Recovery Appellate Tribunals to establish fully equipped E-Sewa Kendras to make e-filing more accessible.

Written by- Aditya a student of ILSR, GLA University, Mathura, 2^nd Semester, an intern under Legal Vidhiya

[1] BAR AND BENCH, https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/supreme-court-launches-new-e-filing-software-no-levy-printing-charges (last visited on 12^th May, 2023).

[2] ibid.

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