STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: A Division Bench of State High Court comprising Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar and Justice Janak Raj Kotwal on Thursday granted four weeks’ time to Chief Secretary (CS) for filing response and taking stand on the proposal of Registrar General and NIC in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed for seeking computerisation of Courts. Division Bench further said that in case needful is not done, the CS will have to appear in person in Court on the next date of hearing.
The Division Bench after hearing Advocate Aparajita Jamwal appearing for the PIL, Advocate Amrish Kapoor appearing for the State High Court and Deputy AG P.S Chandel appearing for the State observed that Court Order dated 5th May, 2015 has not been complied with as no response has been filed by the Chief Secretary or any stand taken on the proposal of Registrar General and NIC regarding computerisation and e-filing which stands already forwarded to Chief Secretary.
The directions came in response to a PIL filed by practicing Advocates seeking direction for incorporating a system of e-filing in urgent matters, computerization of case filing center, making status of fresh files for defect available online, increasing number of employees at filing counter, and at sections for quickly checking defects, making case status, orders passed available online and making a comprehensive website for subordinate courts and saving of records in electronic format to prevent its destruction, and making use of the sign boards for displaying case numbers outside court rooms.
In the PIL it has been further submitted that there is a need to introduce system of e-filing. The lawyers would file urgent petitions such as protection matters, bail matters online and lawyers as well as parties can print hard copies of all pleadings and documents filed electronically for their use in the court or elsewhere. Likewise, the Registry will, wherever required, prepare hard copies for use of the courts. The pleadings and documents electronically filed will be stored on an exclusive server maintained under the control and directions of the High Court of J and K. Each case will be separately labeled and encrypted for this purpose to facilitate easy identification and retrieval. The security of such documents and pleadings will be ensured and access to them would be restricted in the manner indicated hereinbefore and as may be notified from time to time. Back-up copies of all electronically filed pleadings and documents will be preserved in the manner decided by the Court on its administrative side. JNF