Virtual courts
Topic: Justice Delivery: Subordinate Courts, Tribunals, Legal Aid and Judicial Reforms · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Virtual courts are online courts. A case is handled over the internet, so the person or their lawyer does not have to appear in a courtroom. They are part of the e-Courts project, which brings technology into Indian courts. They suit simple, high-volume cases where a hearing in person adds little. This helps reduce pendency (the backlog of cases) and saves people time and travel. The main risks are the digital divide (people without internet or digital skills get left out) and data privacy.
Example
Traffic challan cases are a common example. A driver who gets a challan can see the case online and pay the fine without going to court. e-Courts Phase III (2023-27, ₹7,210 crore) aims to take this further with paperless digital courts and online dispute resolution.
Don't confuse with
- Video hearings: here a regular court hears a case by video link, but a judge still runs a normal hearing. A virtual court can settle a whole case online, often with no hearing at all.
Related concepts
- Judicial pendency
- National Judicial Data Grid
- Judge-population ratio
- e-Courts project
- Justice delayed is justice denied