Digital filing in SC to be transparent and manipulation free, says CJI Khehar

NEW DELHI: Digital filing of cases would make the judicial system "extremely transparent" and rule out any manipulation of records, Chief Justice of India (CJI) J S Khehar said today.

Introducing the 'Integrated Case Management Information System' of digital filing process in the apex court, the CJI said he intended to put the system in place in all the 24 high courts after it is introduced here and would like to see that it takes place in the lower courts across the country.

The Chief Justice of India was speaking at a function attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and a large number of judges from the SC and High Courts and senior lawyers.

"And besides that, you have to file the grounds. As soon as you file the grounds, the entire paper book of the High Court gets transferred to the Supreme Court. So the paperwork of the Supreme Court is finished. It is replaced by the grounds of appeal," the CJI said.

Justice Khehar said the move would be of "great environmental help as well" as it would lessen the use of paper.

The new digitised system would ensure that the litigants come to know the exact cost of filing, besides the date of filing the appeals in the Supreme Court, and nobody would be able to "manipulate" records initially filed and "nobody can lie" that he has already filed them, Justice Khehar said.

The government departments and common litigants will come to know instantly about the filing of the case and may ask their lawyers to download the paper book from the website.

"If there is any person who wants to add any additional documents, he may move an IA (interim application) and file the documents. If he wants to have a part of the pleadings translated, he can move another IA and translate that part of the pleading. "So the process remains the same, rule remains the same.