In a judgment passed on April 24, a bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Krishna Murari stressed that proper and regular digitisation of records is necessary for a smooth judicial process.
“Technology has, in the present time become increasingly enmeshed with the systems of dispute resolution and adjudication with the trends pointing leading to all the more interplay, both supplementary and complimentary between technology and law,” the Court stated.
The Court issued the following directions in this regard:
– The Registrar General of the High Courts shall ensure that in all cases of criminal trial, as well as civil suits, the digitization of records must be duly undertaken with promptitude at all District Courts, preferably within the time prescribed for filing an appeal within the laws of procedure.
– The concerned District Judge, once the system of digitization along with the system of authentication of the digitized records is in place in their judgeship, to ensure that the records so digitized are verified as expeditiously as possible.
– A continually updated record of register of records digitized shall be maintained with periodic reports being sent to the concerned High Courts for suitable directions.
The bench noted that the top court’s E-Committee had on September 24, 2021, already issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in this regard, which must be complied with.
Source: Barandbench
