After the inauguration of its new building in Jodhpur last week, the Rajasthan High Court has decided to make its functioning largely paperless and digitise records within next year. A vision document for the judiciary, with the details of resource mobilisation and utilisation as well as manpower, is also being prepared.
Chief Justice Indrajit Mahanty said at the principal seat in Jodhpur that the process for filing of cases would be converted into the electronic format and the court would deliver e-orders in the next six months to a year. “Lawyers will not be required to carry paper files with them during the hearings,” he said.
Daily cause lists
The High Court has already started releasing the daily cause lists in the digital format. Justice Mahanty said the vision document would assess the requirements of lower courts and ensure optimum utilisation of the resources.
The Chief Justice said the High Court would shortly work out a model to promote pre-litigation mediation in order to bring out-of-court resolution of disputes. This would help address the huge backlog of undecided cases, especially those relating to matrimonial and property disputes.
A Full Court with all the 21 judges of the High Court at its Jodhpur principal seat and the Jaipur Bench was convened in the new building, situated at Jhalamand in Jodhpur, on Monday. This was the first instance after 1976 that all the judges sat and conducted hearings in Jodhpur. The High Court’s Jaipur Bench was established in 1976.
President’s call
President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the new building on Saturday, while calling upon the judiciary to make justice accessible to the poor and marginalised people. Mr. Kovind said the provision of free legal aid and the applications of technology would go a long way in making justice accessible to all.