E-courts & ensuring social justice: Challenges and prospects
- Bihar Journal of Public Administration
- 21(2s), Jul-Dec, 2024: p.613-622
Introduction of IT (e-Courts) in justice delivery has been considered as a weapon of fast justice delivery and thereby reducing the burden of judiciary. Besides, it is helpful in promoting social justice. The complex procedures, costly litigations and geographic barriers etc. hinder the marginalised communities to access the legal recourse. E-Courts introduced under the National Policy and Action Plan for ICT in the Indian Judiciary, aim to address these challenges by digitizing court processes. features like e-fi ling, virtual hearings, and digital case management, e-courts streamline judicial procedures, reduce case backlogs, and make justice more accessible to disadvantaged populations. This initiative aligns with constitutional mandates. But the question is – what are challenges faced by the justice seekers, the judicial process and legal aid? e-Courts face obstacles such as the digital divide, data privacy concerns, and resistance from the judiciary. Thus, the present paper attempts to underline the challenges and suggest measures to meet the challenges. It may be concluded that e-courts may bridge the gap between people and judiciary, but there is urgent need of expansion of internet to rural and weaker sections and enhancing digital literacy. - Reproduced