India's e-Courts Mission Mode Project Digital Transformation
The e-Courts Mission Mode Project, launched in 2007, has systematically transformed India's paper-based judiciary into a digitally enabled justice delivery system serving over a billion people. The project is currently in its third phase (2023-2027) with a total outlay of Rs. 7,210 crore, aiming to create paperless, intelligent courts through large-scale digitization, virtual hearings, and emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI), analytics, and Optical Character Recognition (OCR).
Project Phases and Infrastructure Achievements
Phase I (2011-2015) computerised over 14,000 courts and built basic network infrastructure. Phase II (2015-2023) introduced citizen-centric services including the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), eFiling, and eSewaKendras, while expanding video conferencing infrastructure more than fivefold. Phase III has achieved significant milestones including 1,806 fully functional eSewa Kendras established across court complexes, 474 courts equipped with paperless court infrastructure, and 538 courts equipped for virtual court hearings. The project has provided additional hardware to 18,380 courts and judicial officers, with 7,553 establishments now having video conferencing facilities including courts, jails, and hospitals.
Digital Services and Transaction Volumes
The e-Filing system has processed more than 1.25 crore cases since inception through June 30, 2026, with the e-payments system processing transactions worth Rs. 1,404 crore in court fees and Rs. 75 crore in fines. Over 753 crore pages of legacy court records have been digitized for efficient retrieval and storage. Video conferencing facilities have enabled over 4.18 crore remote hearings nationwide, with livestreaming of court proceedings operational in 11 High Courts. Thirty-one Virtual Courts have been established for online adjudication of traffic challans, receiving 11.33 crore challans amounting to Rs. 1,135.79 crores.
Interoperable Justice Systems
The project has implemented comprehensive digital integration across the criminal justice chain through the Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS), enabling seamless data transfer among courts, police, jails, and forensic labs. All High Courts have implemented ICJS, with additional systems including CCTNS (computerized police processes), ITSSO (sexual offence case tracking), e-Sakshya (digital evidence management), e-Summons, MedLEaPR (medico-legal reporting), Nyaya Shruti (virtual testimony platform), e-Forensic, e-Prison, e-Prosecution, and NAFIS (national fingerprint database).
Digital Tracking and Citizen Services
Digital platforms enable extensive tracking capabilities, with over 4 lakh SMSs and 6 lakh emails sent daily for case updates. The multilingual e-Courts services portal records about 35 lakh hits daily, while the mobile app has 3.84 crore downloads providing case status and cause list information. The JustIS app (22,594 downloads) serves as a management tool for judges. The National Service and Tracking of Electronic Processes (NSTEP) facility is available in 6,895 courts for GPS-tracked delivery of summons and notices.
AI and Advanced Technology Integration
Phase III includes Rs. 53.57 crore allocated for AI and Machine Learning integration through 2027. Key initiatives under pilot testing include AI tools transcribing oral arguments in Constitutional Bench matters, LegRAA (Legal Research and Analysis Assistant) for judges, and Digital Courts 2.1 for paperless case management with voice-to-text (ASR-SHRUTI) and translation (PANINI) tools. Judgment translation into 18 Indian languages through the eSCR portal has completed over 83,000 translations, including 36,344 into Hindi as of March 2025. An AI tool developed with IIT Madras automatically flags defects in e-filed petitions and extracts case data/metadata, with prototype access granted to 200 Advocates-on-Record.
Benefits and Impact
The digitization has made justice delivery faster, more transparent, and affordable by eliminating travel requirements and physical paperwork. The National Judicial Data Grid provides real-time tracking of pending and disposed cases across Supreme Court, High Courts, and District Courts, improving transparency and judicial planning. e-Sewa Kendras (49 across High Courts, 2,535 across District Courts as of June 30, 2026) provide citizen assistance including case status queries, certified copy applications, e-filing support, e-stamp paper purchases, and legal aid guidance.