Lok Sabha Q&A: Digital Leap in Indian Judiciary as Phase III E-Courts Project Targets Paperless Justice
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions | SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Ministry of Law and Justice | Supreme Court of India | National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT)
The Ministry of Law and Justice addressed a question in the Lok Sabha on December 11, 2025, on implementing e-Courts Project Phase III. The project has been allocated βΉ7,210 crore over four years, to digitally transform the judicial system and enhance access to justice. Itβs vision is to achieve universal digital services, digitize court records, and establish paperless courts nationwide.
Key achievements under Phase III include:
Connectivity and Infrastructure: 99.5% of court complexes have been connected to a Wide Area Network (WAN), providing essential connectivity ranging from 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps. Solar power systems have been installed in 1,471 of 1,530 targeted courts.
Case Digitization: High Courts and District Courts have collectively digitized an astounding 579.53 crore pages of court records (224.66 crore from HCs and 354.87 crore from District Courts).
Virtual Court Scale: 29 Virtual Courts have been established, which processed 8.96 crore challans and disposed of 7.84 crore challans until September 30, 2025, generating revenue of βΉ895.59 crore from paid fines.
Further achievements in the project include:
Citizen Access: The e-Courts Services mobile app has seen 3.38 crore downloads, providing litigants and advocates with real-time access to case status and cause lists.
New Platforms: New tools like the Nyaya Shruti app and e-Sakshya platform (for digital evidence recording) have been introduced to integrate the Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) and enhance accuracy.
Capacity Building: 910 training programmes have been conducted, training over 3.22 lakh stakeholders, including specialized programs for visually-challenged officers and technical staff in cybersecurity.
Policy Relevance
The comprehensive rollout of the e-Courts system addresses the critical development goal of improving justice delivery (SDG 16) by eliminating procedural bottlenecks and accelerating case resolution. The success of Virtual Courts in disposing of millions of challans demonstrates the massive potential for leveraging technology to enhance governance efficiency, reduce pendency, and generate public revenue.
What is the Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS)? The ICJS is a national platform envisioned to seamlessly integrate the five pillars of the criminal justice system: police (CCTNS), prisons, courts (e-Courts), prosecution, and forensic science laboratories. The goal is to facilitate real-time data exchange, enhancing the speed and effectiveness of the entire system, with tools like the Nyaya Shruti app facilitating virtual testimonies.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: As the e-Courts system transitions toward paperless operations, what specific mechanisms will the Ministry of Law and Justice implement to ensure uniform adherence to digital filing and process standards across all 1,987 e-Sewa Kendras and the 17 High Courts that have adopted the ICJS Rules?
Follow the full news here: Strengthening of E-Courts System