Pune: Lawyers Opposing E-Filing System; Demands Proper Training Before Implementing The System
Pimpri, 30th January 2023: The ‘e- filing’ system has now been introduced to report all the cases filed in the court through online mode. But as lawyers do not know how to use the e-filing system, there is still confusion. Lawyers are demanding that the government should provide training to lawyers in advance on using this system, remove the loopholes in the e- filing system and then implement it.
Meanwhile, this system will start on February 2 and it has been made mandatory to file all cases through this system. Discussions are going on to extend it by 15 days.
The concept of e-courts came in the year 2005 to use modern technology in the justice system. The first phase of this started in the year 2007. It emphasized on computerization of courts, websites of courts, making court cases, the current status of cases, and judgment orders available on websites. A video conferencing facility has also started. Initially, video conferencing was used to bring the accused in jail for the most serious crimes to appear before the court. However, during the Corona pandemic, the urgent need for video conferencing in court proceedings came forward and got a boost. Now the movement to introduce the e-filing system has also started rapidly.
From February 2, all cases filed in all courts will be filed through e- filing. A hard copy also has to be submitted to the court. Since claims can be filed online from any place, this system will save the time of going to court and filing claims. This speculation is being made for speedy settlement of cases and smooth functioning. But the cases filed in the court have hundreds of pages. They have to be scanned beforehand. After that, it has to be combined into one file. Care should be taken to keep the file size limited; not more than 20 KB. If the size is too much, one has to try again to reduce it.
While adopting this system, resources like a laptop, computer, printer, scanner, smartphone, and internet will be required. The parties appearing in the district and taluka courts are from rural areas. In rural areas, facilities such as electricity and internet are frequently interrupted. Many lawyers do not have perfect knowledge of handling modern resources. In addition, district and taluka-level lawyers cannot afford this cost. Due to various difficulties, the e-filing system is being opposed by lawyers and there is a demand that this system should be implemented in a phased manner.
Adv Narayan Rasal, President of Pimpri-Chinchwad Advocates Bar Association said, “Citizens are still not aware of e- filing. Lawyers don’t have that training. Therefore, before implementing this system, training and public awareness are necessary. There are risks of data deletion and hacking online, that should also be considered. The representatives of the High Court are following up on these issues.”
It was inevitable to continue the work of the court when the Corona epidemic was going on. Bombay High Court and Benches have started a video conferencing system to avoid escalation which saved time for the parties and also got protection during the epidemic. Therefore, it can be said that the e- court started in the true sense during the Corona period. Efforts are being made by Supreme Court E Committee, Bombay High Court to implement this method in other courts also.
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