High Court to become paperless court; first phase of 'Smart Court' to be inaugurated on Saturday

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court is set to become the first paperless court in the country. Supreme Court Judge Justice DY Chandrachud will inaugurate the smart courtrooms at 10 am on Saturday in the High Court Auditorium. Six courtrooms, including that of the Chief Justice, will be converted into smart courts in the first phase. In these courts, the case files will be made available to the lawyers on the computer screen arranged in front of them. Copies can be viewed on computers placed in front of the opposing party and the judge. The advantage of the system is that lawyers can appear and make arguments without carrying case files to the courtroom.

Documents required for the case will also be made available online. The court will also have arrangements that help a lawyer to appear online and make arguments. Judgments will be made available through e-mode. It is the court staff that have been typing the judgements made by the judges. Instead, digital typing will be facilitated with the help of voice recognition software. Apart from the High Court, the Thiruvananthapuram Addnl CJM Court and the Kolenchery Munsiff-Magistrate Court will also become smart courts. The concept of a smart court is being implemented by the IT department of the High Court.

Smart facilities

• Display system: Display systems will be set up inside and outside the court to inform the details of the case under consideration. This will avoid congestion in the courtroom.
• Kiosks: Touch screen kiosks in courtrooms to access case information
• Wi-Fi facility: Wi-Fi facility everywhere in the High Court
• Hybrid Hearing