Digitisation of court proceedings help litigants to track case status
Hyderabad: For months, Vineeth Kumar made regular visits to the district court waiting for updates on his pending case. It was only later, through a friend, that he learnt he could track his case status online through the e-Courts Services. Like Vineeth Kumar, many litigants remain unaware of the e-Courts Services, as they discover them only after being pulled into long legal battles.
Nearly 50 per cent of the litigants are now using online services, while the remaining 50 per cent of them still remain in the blind spot, not knowing how to check their case status, stated the lawyers.
The e-Courts initiative, developed by the e-committee of the Supreme Court, provides free access to everyone to check their case status online through case number, filing number, FIR number, petitioner name and advocate name, among others. These services, which are available through website and app, reduce the need for physical visits to courts for case updates. “Through e-Courts Services, litigants can track their case from registration to trial and save their case details for future updates,” said Vijay Kumar Naik, an advocate.
The advocate said that though e-Courts is a very good initiative, a lack of awareness, particularly among illiterate litigants, remains as a major barrier. “Educated people often ask their advocates about alternatives for tracking case status, but many illiterate litigants depend mainly on their lawyers,” he said.
Sharing their experience in using e-Courts, litigants K. Shiva and G. Ramesh told Deccan Chronicle, “Initially we didn't know about e-Courts, but after a few hearings, our advocate explained how to track the case details.”
“I found out about e-Courts on YouTube after I was released from jail. The app is very easy to use and I check for all the further updates there on the app. However, I also confirm with my advocate regarding the date and then approach the court,” said Ambedkar Parichha, a litigant.
On the other hand, some litigants remain totally unaware of the app.
Durgamma, a public litigant, who has been attending the court for a year, said, “Since we haven’t hired an advocate, nobody has informed us about e-Courts. I didn’t know about e-Courts until my daughter found out through a friend.”
Another litigant Naziya Kousar, who has been coming to the court for three months, said that she was totally unaware of the e-Courts Services and informed that she often depends on her advocate for case updates.
Anitha Deshmukh, additional public prosecutor, recalled how initially before the launch of e-Courts, people had to travel a lot to reach the courts for case updates. According to her, e-Courts have benefited many, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic, allowing litigants to check their case status from their homes. While government lawyers inform litigants on how to use e-Courts initially, she stressed that it’s the litigants’ responsibility to stay informed. “We won’t keep reminding them,” she said.
The legal experts have revealed that while some lawyers do educate their clients about e-Courts, some lawyers don’t, as they risk losing repeated fees if clients use the online service. Furthermore, they have suggested that reminders through text messages or SMS could be an effective way to increase awareness, particularly among illiterate litigants.
Advocate Vijay Kumar Naik pointed out that if a defendant or accused is not informed by their advocates about further dates and misses three consecutive hearings without checking their case status, a non-bailable warrant would be issued, due to which the defendant be sent to a jail. “If a chargesheet is also uploaded on e-Courts, it would be great as people won’t have any confusion regarding various witnesses,” suggested Anitha Deshmukh.
While e-court services exist for all, lack of awareness remains as a major challenge for effective implementation of services among common litigants.
