On December 28, the division bench of Justice G. S. Patel and Justice S. G. Dige requested advocates and parties to use e-filing for all fresh matters while issuing a number of directions on the administrative side to reduce “paper in-flow” and make listing of cases more efficient.
The bench has also introduced an online system for requesting urgent listing of cases via a Google form. This is on an experimental basis till a more robust system for e-filing of praecipes (a brief note setting out the urgency) is introduced.
The registrar of the Bombay High Court issued two notices to that effect in December 2022. the court issued a notice making e-filing mandatory for all cases in the Commercial Division, all cases concerning Direct and Indirect Tax, and Non-Commercial Arbitration cases filed at Original Side from January 2, 2023.
“E-filing of new cases in these classes would include all responses / replies, rejoinders, miscellaneous documents and all applications,” the court said in the notice.
What is E-filing?
E-filing is an electronic way or method of filing of the petitions and complaints. This electronic method will enhance the functioning of the courts and reduce the burden of files. Through electronic mode, every step will be done in an efficient and in a speedy manner. This will also reduce the paper work and it therefore, emphasis and focusses on going digital. The cases will be filed through systematic manner and gave way to easy disposal of decisions and judgements.
Even Supreme court judge justice Abhay Oka made recommendation to start using technology to rule out manual intervention and automate the listing of new cases.
“Technology can be used to stop all kinds of manual intervention. And if we want to bring transparency to our constitutional courts, we must use our technology and ensure that the first date of freshly filed cases is automated. There should not be any choice to any member of the registry to postpone the listing of the case. Case must appear on the cause list whether the cause list consists of 100 matters, 150 matters.”
While delivering a lecture on “The Role of Technology in courts, justice Oka said that use of our technology will lead to, ‘Accessible justice, Timely justice.’
Justice also shared his experience as the chief justice of Karnataka high court, over the use of internet, during the lockdown.
Also laid emphasis over modifying the court or turning into digital form and paperless court, “We keep calling for record from the trial courts. After files are digitalized, We will get digital files,” he said.
Conclusion:
Technologies are growing on a rapid basis, day by day, new technology are coming forth. These innovations can be proved to be more beneficial and effective, if used in difficult task. This can bring ease in our day -to- day work. If technologies are used in doing chores and other things then why won’t bring and practice in the court process. This would really be effective and make the process more systematic and in a proper manner which could be ace for court during the disposal of the cases.
BY: AYUSHI BHUSHAN, 1ST YEAR, BA.LLB(INTEGRATED), BANASTHALI UNIVERSITY, RAJASTHAN
0 Comments