MANU/PIBU/2996/2023

Department/Board : Press Information Bureau

Date : 13.09.2023

Cabinet approves eCourts Phase III for 4 years

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the eCourts Project Phase III as a Central Sector Scheme spanning four years (2023 onwards) with financial outlay of Rs. 7210 crore.

In line with the vision of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji's "Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas", eCourts Mission Mode Project is the prime mover for improving access to justice using technology. As part of the National eGovernance Plan, the e-Courts Project is under implementation since 2007 for ICT enablement of the Indian Judiciary the Phase II of which has concluded in 2023. Phase III of the e-Courts Project in India is rooted in philosophy of "access and inclusion".

Taking the gains of Phase-I and Phase-II to the next level, the e-Courts Phase-III aims to usher in a regime of maximum ease of justice by moving towards digital, online and paperless courts through digitization of the entire court records including legacy records and by bringing in universalization of e-Filing/ e-Payments through saturation of all court complexes with e-Sewa Kendras. It will put in place intelligent smart systems enabling data-based decision making for judges and registries while scheduling or prioritizing cases. The main objective of the Phase-III is to create a unified technology platform for the judiciary, which will provide a seamless and paperless interface between the courts, the litigants and other stakeholders.

The Centrally Sponsored Scheme of eCourts Phase III is being implemented under the joint partnership of Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice, Government of India and eCommittee, Supreme Court of India, in a decentralized manner through the respective High Courts to develop a judicial system that would promote ease of justice by making the system more accessible, affordable, reliable, predictable, and transparent for all stakeholders.

Components of eCourts Phase III are as follows:

S. No.	Scheme Component		Cost Estimate (Total in Rs. crore)
1	Scanning, Digitization and Digital Preservation of Case Records		2038.40
2	Cloud Infrastructure		1205.23
3	Additional hardware to existing courts		643.66
4	Infrastructure in newly set up courts		426.25
5	Establishment of 1150 Virtual Courts		413.08
6	4400 fully functional eSewa Kendra	394.48
7	Paperless Court	359.20
8	System and Application Software Development	243.52
9	Solar Power Backup	229.50
10	Video Conferencing set-up	228.48
11	e- filing	215.97