Context: During the Diamond Jubilee celebration of the Supreme Court of India, the Prime Minister introduced citizen-centric information and technology initiatives.

• These initiatives include the Digital Supreme Court Reports (Digi SCR), Digital Courts 2.0, and a new website for the Supreme Court.

About Digital technology initiatives of Supreme Court

• These initiatives aim to enhance accessibility, transparency, and efficiency in legal processes.

Digital Supreme Court Reports (Digi SCR)

• Provides free and electronic access to Supreme Court judgments.

• All 519 volumes of Supreme Court reports since 1950, covering 36,308 cases, will be available in a digital format.

• Features include bookmarking, user-friendliness, and open access for citizens.

Digital Courts 2.0

• Part of the e-Courts project.

• Facilitates electronic access to court records for district court judges.

• Incorporates artificial intelligence for real-time speech-to-text transcription.

New Website of the Supreme Court

• Bilingual (English and Hindi).

• Redesigned with a user-friendly interface.

About e-Courts project

• The eCourts project is a mission mode project that aims to improve access to justice through technology.

• The Project was conceptualized on the basis of the National Policy and Action Plan for Implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Indian Judiciary-2005.

• It was submitted by eCommittee, Supreme Court of India with a vision to transform the Indian Judiciary by ICT enablement of Courts.

Importance of ICT in judiciary

• It will provide an efficient & time-bound citizen centric services delivery.

• It will help develop, install & implement decision support systems in courts.

• It will automate the processes to provide transparency in accessibility of information to its stakeholders.

• It will enhance judicial productivity, both qualitatively & quantitatively, to make the justice delivery system affordable, accessible, cost effective, predictable, reliable and transparent.

Other Digital technology initiatives by Supreme court

• National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG): An online repository of case (pending and disposed) statistics from the country's high courts and district and subordinate courts.

• Virtual courts: It is aimed at reducing footfalls in the courts by eliminating the physical presence of violator or advocate in the court.

• Neither litigant need to come to court nor judge will have to physically preside over the court.

• Tele-Law: It is an e-interface connecting marginalized individuals seeking legal advice with Panel Lawyers via video conferencing/telephonic facilities at Common Service Centres (CSCs) on the Panchayat level.

• National Service and Tracking of Electronic Processes (NSTEP): NSTEP is a centralized process service tracking app with a web and mobile component.

• It enables bailiffs and process servers to transparently track notice and summons services in real-time.

AI driven technology

• Supreme Court Vidhik Anuvaad Software (SUVAS): It is a machine assisted translation tool trained by Artificial Intelligence.

• Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Court's Efficiency (SUPACE): An Artificial Intelligence (AI) portal designed to make research easier for judges, thereby easing their workload.