Technology In Indian Courts And Speedy Justice: An Analysis
Viplav Baranwal, HPNLU, Shimla
ABSTRACT
The prolonged delay in the delivery of justice constitutes one of the most persistent and debilitating crises confronting the Indian legal system. With a huge backlog of cases, India stands at a critical juncture where technological intervention is no longer an option but an institutional administrative requirement. This paper examines the deployment of information and communication technology in accelerating judicial processes in India, with particular focus on mechanisms including the e-Courts Mission Mode Project, the National Judicial Data Grid, Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems, NCRB, Indian cybercrime Coordination Centre, National Automated Fingerprint Identification System, e-Forensics, Inter- Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) etc.
Drawing on comparative jurisprudence and institutional practices from Singapore, Canada, the United Kingdom, Chile, and Estonia, and at the international level UNCITRAL's Technical Notes on Online Dispute Resolution (2016), the UNSDG 16.3 mandating equal access to justice, and OECD frameworks on people-centric justice systems, the paper evaluates global models of e-litigation, Online Dispute Resolution (ODR), and digital case management systems as instructive archetypes for Indian judicial reform.
This paper identifies four significant research gaps: the absence of empirical outcome-based studies on the effectiveness of e-courts in Indian subordinate courts; the inadequacy of a comprehensive data governance and cybersecurity framework governing judicial data; the unexamined impact of the digital divide on procedural fairness; and the lack of a unified statutory framework for virtual court proceedings. The paper concludes with certain recommendations designed to bridge these gaps and place India at the front of technologically driven justice delivery.
Keywords: e-Courts, NJDG, Online Dispute Resolution, Access to Justice, Technology and Law, Article 21.
