As part of the National eGovernance Plan, the eCourts Mission Mode project is under implementation since 2007 for ICT development of the Indian Judiciary based on the “National Policy and Action Plan for Implementation of Information and Communication Technology in the Indian Judiciary”. Its vision is to transform the judicial system of the country by ICT enablement of courts and to enhance the judicial productivity, both qualitatively & quantitatively, making the justice delivery system accessible, cost effective, reliable, and transparent. eCourts project is being implemented under the joint partnership of Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice, Government of India and e-Committee, Supreme Court of India, in a decentralized manner through the respective High Courts. The continuing endeavour of the Indian judiciary in independent India has been to provide expeditious and inexpensive access to justice for citizens. Today, technology is a powerful tool to accelerate this endeavour. It offers the opportunity to make the justice system equitable, facilitating each citizen, especially the marginalized, to approach the courts for redress. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for eCourts Phase-III was approved by the eCommittee, Supreme Court of India on 21.10.2022. eCourts Phase III was also announced during the presentation of the Union Budget 2023- 2024 with an outlay of Rs.7210 crore. The Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) accorded approval to the Phase-III of eCourts Project in its meeting held on 23.02.2023.The Union Cabinet in its meeting held on 13.09.2023 approved eCourts Phase-III with a budgetary outlay of Rs.7210 crore. Subsequently, Rs. 225 crore has been released for eCourts Phase III by the Ministry of Finance form the Contingency Fund, out of which Rs. 102.50 crore has been allocated to BSNL and NIC and Rs. 110.24 crore has been sub-allocated to various High Courts for scanning and digitization, e-Sewa Kendras, IT Hardware for existing and newly setup courts, solar power backup etc. Taking the gains of Phase-I and Phase-II to the next level, the eCourts Phase-III aims to usher in a regime of maximum ease of justice by moving towards digital, online and paperless courts. The proposed timeframe for the eCourts Project Phase-III is four years (2023 onwards). The Phase-III of the project envisions facilitation of various new features, which may prove to be a game changer for last mile justice delivery. The components and financial details of eCourts Phase III are at Annexure I.

This information was given by the MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE; MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS; MINISTER OF STATE FOR THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

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SS/AKS

(Release ID: 1983570)