Context: Chief Justice of India recently inaugurated the e-Sewa Kendra in Tripura High Court.

• e-Sewa Kendra were conceived by the Supreme Court under a project to ensure access to justice for all.
• The decision to shift judicial processes online would make justice “technology-dependent” but it had been done to avoid a complete shutdown of courts amid the pandemic.

About e-Sewa Kendra

• e-Sewa Kendra have been created in the High Courts and in one District Court in each State on a pilot basis.
• They are supposed to serve the common litigant as a one stop center for all his/her Court related needs.
• In order to make it more visible, it is envisaged that it shall be strategically located right at the public entry gate accessed by litigants and shall provide every possible assistance to a litigant walking in.
• These Kendra represent a significant step for the common man and his right to access to justice.

Principle

• Technology must be harnessed to “Empower” and “Enable”.
• Ensuring Access to Justice to all.
• Creating an efficient and responsive judicial system.

Facilities provided by e-Sewa Kendra

• Handling inquiries about case status, next date of hearing and other details.
• Explaining the method of arranging and holding a video conference court hearing.
• Online Applications for certified copies.

e-Filing of petitions

• Scanning of hard copy petitions
• Appending eSignatures
• Uploading them onto CIS
• Generation of filing number

1. To assist in online purchase of e-Stamp papers/ePayments.
2. To help in applying and obtaining Aadhaar based digital signature.
3. Publicize and assist in downloading the Mobile App of e-Courts.
4. Facilitate in the booking of e-Mulakat appointments for meeting relatives in jail.
5. Handling queries about Judges on leave.

Guide people on how to avail free legal services from

• District Legal Service Authority
• High Court Legal Service Committee
• Supreme Court Legal Service Committee

Facilitate disposal of traffic challan in virtual Courts as also online compounding of traffic challans and other petty offences.
Provide soft copies of judicial orders/judgments via email, WhatsApp or any other available mode.
Other Government initiatives to provide online legal services
Tele Law

• Launched by Ministry of Law and Justice in April 2017 to facilitate legal advice for marginalized communities.
• It would help to connect lawyers with clients by video conferencing through the common service centres (CSCs) which would be operated by para-legal volunteers.

Nyaya Mitra

• It aims to reduce pendency of cases across selected districts, with a special focus on those pending for more than 10 years.
• It will actively identify such cases through the National Judicial Data Grid, providing legal advice and connecting litigants to government agencies and civil society organizations.

This initiative would be launched in 227 districts

• 27 districts in the North East and J&K
• 200 in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Odisha, Gujarat, and West Bengal.