Numbing numbers: At last count on January 1 this year, a staggering 2,94,97,251 cases were pending in the 12,423 courts that exist in India. So, on an average, about 2,374 cases are pending in each court of law across the country

There are two kinds of people in this world ? those who laugh at ‘height of patience’ jokes, and those who don’t. Diviya Kapur belongs to the second lot. A lawyer by profession, Kapur ? who now lives in Goa ? took a sabbatical from work a few years ago to fulfil some personal commitments. An added incentive to hang up her lawyer’s cloak was the sheer frustration that came because of the endless delays the Indian legal system is afflicted with. “Sometimes, cases would be adjourned for almost a year before they would come up for hearing again,” she recalls. “At other times, I would go to court to attend a hearing, but owing to a packed schedule and backlogs, the case would probably not come up before the jury at all.”

Patience is imperative for anyone who knocks on the doors of justice in our country today. For with the first knock begins a labyrinthine journey that seems to stretch over aeons. And if things can get frustrating for petitioners, it’s no less annoying for those within the system who have to live with an increasing burden of cases through every single working day of their lives.

But things could be looking up for the Indian judicial system with the e-committee of the Supreme Court of India holding out the promise of taking legal disputes online in five years’ time. The e-committee is the executor of the Rs 854-crore project undertaken by the ministry of law and justice to take the benefits of information and communication technology to the Indian legal system. The project, which is aimed at bringing about the total computerisation of the judicial system, is slated to be completed in three phases.

There was much enthusiasm for the project at a function in New Delhi earlier this month when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh formally inaugurated it. “The goal of a mature and democratic government is to provide the common man a framework where the rule of law prevails and justice is dispensed without fear or favour,” said the Prime Minister at the function. “And one of the shortcomings that has been noticed in our judicial system is the delay in the disposal of cases in the courts,” he added.

At last count on January 1 this year, a staggering 2,94,97,251 cases were pending in the 12,423 courts that currently exist in India. So on an average, about 2,374 cases are pending in each court of law across the country.

Computerisation, say those associated with the project, would improve the scenario considerably. “The project would include the automation of registry processes and easy access to legal archives and literature pertaining to law,” says G.C. Bharuka, chairman of the e-committee. The creation of a website ? www.indianjudiciary.nic.in ? would make it possible for citizens to access the law at the click of a mouse. For example, a litigant who wishes to file a case regarding dowry would be able to register for the process online. What’s more, the person could then search the archives and refer to previous cases similar to the one he or she is about to file. Browsing through the archived verdicts could give the litigant an idea of the likely outcome of his or her case.

Besides, the project would ? by way of creating an exclusive server ? set up a network, connecting each and every court of law in India. “That would enable even judges to have access to judicial records and case proceedings in other courts across the country,” said H.R. Bhardwaj, Union minister for law and justice, at the inauguration.

The five-year project is slated to kick off by training court staff in the nuances of information and communication technology. A National Judicial Data Centre will also be set up. The project would then move on to set up the required IT infrastructure for the judicial system. Finally, it would focus on the e-coverage of the judicial process and administrative activities. The creation of a database would also allow the judiciary to access information about habitual criminals and offenders, making legal proceedings transparent.

But for the process of computerisation to be truly effective, a constant system of monitoring and updating would be essential. As Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, soon-to-be Chief Justice of India, pointed out at the function, “A continuous process of training, updating and fine-tuning is required until the new method becomes an integral part of the existing legal system.” That’s food for thought, considering that most things in India are left to decay once they have been set up.

Nevertheless, these, clearly, are promising times for the Indian judiciary. And perhaps no one is happier about it than R.C. Lahoti, the outgoing Chief Justice, whose dream it was to set the e-ball rolling before he moved out of office. “If the policy and action plan of information and communication technology in the judiciary are fully accomplished, the Indian judicial system would stand revolutionised,” he proudly said at the project’s inauguration.

Let’s hope that comes to pass.