E-courts in India are still a distant dream. Till now not even a single e-court has been established in any state of India. Lack of techno-legal expertise is the main reason for the current scenario. Further, governmental and judicial resolve to establish e-courts in India is also missing.
As far as techno legal expertise is concerned, we have a single techno legal e-courts training and consultancy centre of India managed by Perry4Law and Perry4Law Techno Legal Base (PTLB). Similarly, we have very few e-courts consultants in India that can successfully implement any e-court project in India or abroad.
Fortunately the e-justice and dispute resolution in India has been strengthened by Perry4Law and PTLB. It has been reported that Perry4Law and PTLB have launched dedicated portals pertaining to electronic courts, e-judiciary, ODR India, online arbitration, etc.
From a mere perusal of these initiatives it is clear that these initiatives are covering crucial issues like online dispute resolution (ODR), e-courts, e-judiciary, online arbitration, etc.
So far neither Indian government nor Indian judiciary has taken any concrete steps towards use of ODR and e-courts in India. While other countries are exploring active use of e-courts and ODR India on the other hand is still engrossed in purchase of computers and printers.
Till now there is no facility of e-filing in India at the lower courts. Litigants are still required to be physically present at court premises to submit their digital media and electronic documents.
Indian government has taken almost a decade to decide whether e-courts would be used in India or not? It is high time for Indian government to actually act rather than keep on thinking for another decade.
Indian government can also take help of techno legal consultants who are well aware of the details of both technical and legal aspects. Of course, the option of approaching Perry4Law and PTLB is the best one if the Indian government wants best and instant results.
