Law and the Justice System vs. 21st Century Technology: Are We Evolving?

Abstract

Efforts to integrate modern technology in the Indian justice system have been initiated since the early 2000s, founded upon the holy-grail that is the “National Policy and Action Plan for Implementation of Information and Communication Technology in the Indian Judiciary”. The first two phases of this project are already complete, with the third phase having been initiated in 2023. The end of the first two phases was marked by peak success, with the creation of a national database of pending and disposed cases, hardware and software support for digital connectivity across all courts in the nation, even the subordinate courts, and facilitating digital connectivity across courts and other relevant institutions such as jails. However, there remain glaring gaps, in terms of low adoption of such technologies by trial courts, lack of skilled manpower, and accessibility issues. Thus, at the juncture of Phase III, it is now time to learn from the earlier mistakes, and ensure that the available cutting-edge technology is incorporated and utilized to the fullest extent by the Indian justice system.