‘Paperless courts can be a reality’

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A new idea can change the course of how courts function in our country. On the occasion of Law Day recently Union law minister Salman Khurshid stressed upon the need for making court proceedings paperless. He asked, “Can we look for a paperless Supreme Court?” He commented on how Brazil has taken a

remarkable leap with court proceedings there becoming paperless and how India needs to move in that direction.
With a green signal by the law minister for paperless proceedings, is it a change we can look forward to?
Supreme Court lawyer Meenakshi Lekhi finds the idea good, but feels its implementation would be difficult. “We don’t have basic education in our country and most of our lawyers are not well-equipped to handle technology. Not all are e-learnt and there will be economic and financial constraints of providing this facility in all states. It will take a long time for it to become a reality. I wish Mr Khurshid takes note of the fact that the condition of our courts is not great. We need toilets and water facility which many courts lack. He must decide what’s more important for now,” says Lekhi.
Delhi high court advocate and former vice president of Delhi Pradesh Youth Congress Anil Chaudhry agrees with Lekhi and says, “The condition of district courts is bad. Approximately 60 per cent lawyers registered with the Bar Council of India don’t know how to operate a computer. If the situation in the capital is bad, can you imagine how much worse it would be in other states? The younger breed of lawyers may be at ease with technology but it may take a decade or so to make court proceedings paperless.”
The idea may seem daunting at present, but it would pave the way for a better and more organised future, thinks advocate Arjun Natarajan. He shares that Justice S.B. Sinha, chairperson of Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal, has been trying to make green court a reality in the telecom tribunal. Any pleading/affidavit that is to be filed has to be accompanied by a CD bearing a softcopy in pdf format.
He says, “Such a process can’t happen overnight. We have to work towards the goal of paperless courts. Necessity knows no law and it’s not an impossible dream. Tablet PCs are being increasingly used by advocates and research material is readily available in CDs and online. Thus, the need to store bulky books is not an absolute necessity. The next step is towards paperless proceedings.”
Interestingly, there are already four to five e-courts functioning in the Delhi high court. High court lawyer Jaspreet Singh Kapur says, “There are over a million files in courts. To scan each record is a tedious task, but if some sort of codification is done, it will become easier. One law firm I believe, is functioning paperless, their lawyers and employees work on iPads and bring it to the courts with regard to their cases. Most people in judiciary are acknowledging the importance of doing their bit for the environment. All this will cost us time and effort, but it wil reap fruit in the future. Bulky record rooms will be phased out, proceedings will become easier, it’s a good thought in the long run.”