12 February 2026·PIB

DIGITIZATION OF COURTS

In this note

1. At a Glance

e-Courts Mission Mode Project (MMP) is a pan-India ICT initiative under the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice, in partnership with the e-Committee of the Supreme Court of India, to digitise district and subordinate judiciary [1][2].
Currently in Phase III (2023–2027) with an outlay of ₹7,210 crore as a Central Sector Scheme, aiming at "digital, online and paperless" courts [1][3].
Examinable for Prelims (schemes, NJDG, NSTEP, virtual courts) and Mains GS-II (governance, judiciary, e-governance).

PIB (Ministry of Law & Justice) release dated 12 February 2026 highlighted continued progress in e-filing, e-payments, hybrid hearings, record digitisation and computer security under Phase III [1].
Year-Ender 2025 of Department of Justice flagged scale-up of Virtual Courts, NJDG access and NSTEP delivery numbers [2][4].

2005: National Policy & Action Plan for ICT in Indian Judiciary drafted by e-Committee of SC (Justice R.C. Lahoti era) [1].
Phase I (2011–2015): Basic computerisation of district courts [2].
Phase II (2015–2023): ICT enablement of District & Subordinate Courts; rollout of CIS (Case Information System), NJDG, eCourts Services App, eFiling, ePay, Virtual Courts [5].
Phase III approved by Union Cabinet on 13 September 2023, after EFC approval on 23 February 2023; 4-year horizon, ₹7,210 crore outlay [1].

Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Law & Justice → Department of Justice [1].
Implementing partner: e-Committee, Supreme Court of India [1].
Scheme type: Central Sector Scheme (100% central funding) [1].
Phase III outlay: ₹7,210 crore (2023–2027) [1].
Legacy records digitisation target: 3,108 crore pages [1].
e-Sewa Kendras target: 4,400 across all court complexes for assisted e-filing [1].
Virtual Courts: 29 established (as on 30.09.2025), handling traffic challans and similar petty offences [2].
NJDG: Public access to 35.17 crore orders/case data [2].
NSTEP: 7.29 crore e-processes generated, 2.11 crore delivered via GPS-enabled mobile mechanism [2].
Virtual Court collections: 8.96 crore challans received; 7.84 crore disposed; ₹895.59 crore collected from 86.59 lakh paid challans [2].

Legal / Constitutional

Reinforces Article 39A (equal access to justice) and Article 21 (speedy trial) [1].
Section 105 BNSS / earlier CrPC provisions allow electronic service of summons — operationalised via NSTEP [2].

Administrative / Governance

e-Sewa Kendras bridge digital divide for non-tech-savvy litigants/lawyers [1].
NJDG dashboard functions as pendency-monitoring tool for High Courts & SC [2].
Federal challenge: courts are state-administered, but funding & tech standards are central — coordination via e-Committee [1].

Scientific / Technological

Phase III mandates use of AI/ML, OCR, cloud infrastructure, blockchain for case management and translation (SUVAS, SUPACE) [1].
Expansion of video conferencing to courts, jails and hospitals (for witness testimony) [1].

Social

Economic

Digital court rooms cut paper, storage and adjournment costs; ₹895+ crore already realised via virtual challan disposal [2].

12 Feb 2026 — PIB note on continued Phase III rollout: e-filing, e-payments, hybrid hearings expansion [1].
2025 Year-Ender (Dec 2025) — 29 Virtual Courts; 35.17 crore orders on NJDG; 7.29 crore NSTEP e-processes [2].
Sep 2023 — Cabinet approved Phase III, ₹7,210 crore [1].
Continued onboarding of Supreme Court of India onto NJDG (completed in earlier phase) [5].

e-Courts MMP is a Central Sector Scheme (not Centrally Sponsored) [1].
Phase III outlay: ₹7,210 crore; duration 2023–2027 [1].
Cabinet approval date: 13 September 2023 [1].
Implementing ministry: Ministry of Law & Justice (Department of Justice) — NOT MeitY [1].
Knowledge partner: e-Committee, Supreme Court of India [1].
NJDG = National Judicial Data Grid — pendency-monitoring portal [2].
NSTEP = National Service and Tracking of Electronic Processes — GPS-based summons delivery [2].
SUVAS (Supreme Court Vidhik Anuvaad Software) and SUPACE (Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Court Efficiency) are AI tools used by SC [1].
Phase III to digitise 3,108 crore legacy pages [1].
4,400 e-Sewa Kendras planned in all court complexes [1].
Virtual Courts initially deployed for traffic challans; 29 functional [2].
Article 39A — equal justice and free legal aid — constitutional anchor [1].

GS-II: Governance — e-Governance applications; Judiciary — structure, functioning, reforms.
GS-III: Awareness in IT (AI, OCR, cloud) for public services.
Question stems: 1. "Digitisation alone cannot reduce judicial pendency unless accompanied by procedural reforms. Examine in light of e-Courts Phase III." 2. "Discuss how the e-Courts Mission Mode Project advances Article 39A while raising concerns of digital divide and data privacy." 3. "Evaluate the role of the e-Committee of the Supreme Court in steering ICT adoption in Indian judiciary."

National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) — dashboard mechanics, transparency.
Gram Nyayalayas Act, 2008 — rural access to justice.
Tele-Law / Nyaya Bandhu / DISHA scheme — Department of Justice legal-aid suite.
Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) — POCSO/rape cases.
Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023 — codifies e-trials, e-summons.
Article 39A & 21 — speedy justice jurisprudence.
Digital India / IndiaAI Mission — broader tech-governance.
Mediation Act, 2023 — ADR backstop reducing court load.

Central Sector vs Centrally Sponsored: e-Courts is Central Sector (100% Union) — frequently misstated [1].
Ministry confusion: Department of Justice sits in Ministry of Law & Justice, NOT MeitY or Home Ministry [1].
NJDG vs ICJS: NJDG is judiciary's case data grid; ICJS (Inter-operable Criminal Justice System) is MHA-led linking police-courts-prisons-forensics — different schemes.
Virtual Courts ≠ Video-conferenced hearings: Virtual Courts are jurisdiction-less, paperless courts (largely for traffic), distinct from VC-based hybrid hearings [2].
Phase III duration: 4 years from 2023 (2023–2027), not 5 years [1].