- Why in news
- On 7 August 2026, PIB published a explainer on the digital transformation of the Indian judiciary under the e-Courts Mission Mode Project, now in Phase III (2023–2027).
- What it is
- The e-Courts Mission Mode Project is a national programme to computerise and digitise Indian courts. It aims to make justice delivery faster, cheaper, more transparent and more accessible through online filing, virtual hearings and case tracking. It runs in phases, with the third phase aiming at paperless and AI-assisted courts.
- Launch year
- The release says the Government launched the project in 2007.
- Phase II tools
- Phase II brought the National Judicial Data Grid, eFiling and eSewaKendras, and expanded video conferencing more than fivefold.
- Phase III outlay and AI
- Rs. 53.57 crore of the Rs. 7,210 crore Phase III outlay is earmarked for AI and machine learning in High Courts.
- NJDG
- NJDG is an online public dashboard with separate dashboards for the Supreme Court, High Courts and District Courts, tracking pendency and disposal.
- NSTEP
- NSTEP is a GPS-enabled web and mobile app used by bailiffs to serve summons electronically.
- ICJS
- The Inter-operable Criminal Justice System links courts, police, jails, forensic labs and prosecution; all High Courts have implemented it.
Don’t confuse with ICJS vs CCTNS: ICJS links courts, police, prisons, forensics and prosecution. CCTNS computerises police work from FIR to charge-sheet.
Don’t confuse with NJDG vs NSTEP: NJDG is a public dashboard on case pendency and disposal. NSTEP is an app for GPS-tracked service of summons.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Digital filing, virtual hearings and case tracking cut travel cost and delay, and improve access to justice.
- Public data on pending cases through NJDG improves transparency and accountability.
Problems
- The digital divide limits access for poor and rural litigants, and e-Sewa Kendras only partly bridge it.
- Digitisation does not by itself fix pendency caused by vacancies, adjournments and weak infrastructure.
Way forward
- Expand connectivity, training and e-Sewa Kendras, and keep regional-language support.
- Use AI tools with human oversight and data safeguards.
Put in your answer
Remote hearings: Courts have conducted over 4.18 crore remote hearings by video conferencing.
Digitised records: Over 753 crore pages of court records have been digitised.
- 2019Mains GS2 · Q8Why ICT-based projects suffer, and measures for their effective implementation.
- 2023Mains GS2 · Q8What inadequacies hamper effectiveness, transparency and accountability in e-governance.
- 2024Mains GS2 · Q18Evaluate the Interactive Service Model of e-governance for transparency and accountability.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting judicial reform topic with phases and data; the news-linked Mains questions on schemes number 33, but this release gives no fresh debate or new provision.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.