March 29: Eastern India's first electronic court for settling income tax appeals became operational at the regional office of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) on Monday.

The electronic court will facilitate the hearing of appeals of the Guwahati ITAT through video conferencing, reducing the need for members of the functional benches in Calcutta to travel, thus cutting down on the time required for settlement.

Income tax department representatives and representatives of assessees would argue from the office of ITAT Guwahati through video conferencing. The facility will be extended to the Ranchi, Patna and Cuttack benches soon.

Suresh Chandra, the secretary in the law ministry, inaugurated the regional bench in the presence of income tax officials and tax advocates.

The eastern region consists of nine benches - five in Calcutta and one each in Ranchi, Guwahati, Cuttack and Patna. All regional benches except the one in Calcutta are non-functional in the absence of any members.

Nationally, electronic courts are functional in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Delhi.

There are 7,500 appeals pending in the eastern region and 91,000 across the country. Advocates hope that electronic courts will help in quicker settlement of pending appeals.

"This will not only help in speedy disposal of cases, but also lead to considerable cost savings for the government and tax payers," said S.M. Surana, president Income Tax Bar Association, Calcutta.