Digitisation of the Judiciary: The e-Courts Mission Mode Project

India has computerised 18,735 district and subordinate courts. The current phase aims higher: paperless courts, run partly with AI. This is the story of the e-Courts Mission Mode Project in three phases.

1Chapter 1: The Project and Its Three Phases

Must Know

What it is

• The e-Courts Mission Mode Project is the Indian judiciary’s digitisation programme.
• It is part of the National e-Governance Plan.
• The Department of Justice implements it, working with the e-Committee of the Supreme Court of India.
• Funds go to High Courts, not directly to state governments.
• High Courts are the actual implementing agency in each state.

Three phases

• Phase I (2011-2015): ₹935 crore outlay. It covered computer hardware, internet connectivity and training for judicial officers.
• 14,249 district and subordinate courts were computerised.
• Video conferencing linked 493 court complexes to 347 jails.
• Phase II (2015-2023): ₹1,670 crore outlay. It built citizen-facing tools.
• Its National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) gave online access to over 26 crore cases and orders.
• It also brought e-filing, 1,057 eSewa Kendras and 28 Virtual Courts for traffic-challan cases.
• By the end of Phase II, 18,735 courts were computerised.
• Phase III (2023-2027, ongoing): approved by the Union Cabinet on 13 September 2023.
• Its outlay is ₹7,210 crore over four years, more than four times Phase II’s budget.

What Phase III adds

• Digitising 3,108 crore pages of legacy case records.
• Building cloud infrastructure.
• Expanding eSewa Kendras to a target of 4,400.
• Introducing Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning tools for data-based case scheduling and prioritisation.
• On 11-12 April 2026, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant formally launched Phase III at a national conference in New Delhi.

2Chapter 2: Evaluation and Structure

Good to Know

Did it work?

• An independent evaluation of Phase II by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) found real gains.
• It found reduced case pendency and high satisfaction among judges.
• It also found a steady decline in cases pending over five years.

Three phases, three questions

• Phase I asked, “can courts get online?”
• Phase II asked, “can citizens use this?”
• Phase III now asks, “can the system get smarter?”

Why High Courts hold the purse

• High Courts, not state executives, administer the lower courts within their jurisdiction.
• So routing Phase III’s funds through High Courts reflects India’s judicial structure.

A different topic: appointments

• This programme is distinct from how judges are appointed.
• See The Judiciary: Structure and Judicial Appointments and Supreme Court of India.

3Chapter 3: Tools, AI and Reach

Great to Know

AI and machine learning

• Of Phase III’s ₹7,210 crore, ₹53.57 crore is set aside for AI and ML tools.
• Pilots include LegRAA (Legal Research and Analysis Assistant) for judges.
• Another is AI transcription of Constitutional Bench arguments.
• A third is “Digital Courts 2.1”, for fully paperless case management.
• See AI in Governance and Administrative Reforms in India.

Language and access

• Judgments are being translated into 18 Indian languages via the eSCR portal.
• Over 83,000 had been translated by March 2025, more than 36,000 of them into Hindi.
• Court proceedings are now livestreamed in 11 High Courts.
• Nyaya Shruti, launched in 2024 under the Inter-operable Criminal Justice System, lets the accused, witnesses, police, prosecutors and prisoners testify virtually.

Legal aid links

• The project connects to legal aid.
• See NALSA: India’s Free Legal Aid Machinery and Legal Services Authorities Act: Free Legal Aid Eligibility.
• Judges also research doctrines like Article 13 of the Constitution faster, thanks to digitisation.

4Chapter 4: Current Affairs, National Numbers

Current Affairs

Digitisation by August 2026

• On 7 August 2026, a government factsheet showed digitised pages had crossed 753 crore.
• Cumulative video-conferencing hearings reached 4.18 crore, across 7,553 linked establishments including courts, jails and hospitals. (Source: IANS.)
• The e-Filing platform has processed over 1.25 crore case filings since inception.
• It has also handled ₹1,404 crore in court-fee e-payments and ₹75 crore in fines.
• Virtual Courts have grown to 31, handling 11.33 crore challans worth ₹1,135.79 crore.

Where things stood in January 2026

• On 31 January 2026, a written Rajya Sabha reply put digitised court records at 660.36 crore pages.
• 2,444 eSewa Kendras were operational, on the way to the 4,400 target. (Source: ANI.)
• By the same date, courts had conducted a cumulative 3.97 crore hearings through video conferencing.

The CJI launches Phase III

• On 11-12 April 2026, CJI Surya Kant launched Phase III at a two-day National Conference on Judicial Digital Transformation in New Delhi.
• New tools released there included a mobile app update and Single Sign-On services for court portals. (Source: LiveLaw.)

Systems, Budget and Kendras

• The Union Budget 2026 allocated ₹2,010 crore for judicial modernisation.
• That is ₹810 crore for court infrastructure and ₹1,200 crore for eCourts Phase III. (Source: PIB.)
• Case Information System (CIS) 4.0 is now live in all courts. It is integrated with NJDG, e-filing, virtual courts and the Inter-operable Criminal Justice System.
• Courts have received over 35.57 lakh FIRs and 38.36 lakh chargesheets digitally from CCTNS. (Source: PIB.)
• A new eSummons system delivers summons electronically.
• A Judicial Digital Trustworthy Repository stores digitised records permanently.
• The JustIS app for judges has been downloaded over 22,534 times. (Source: PIB.)
• eSewa Kendras rose to 2,584 across 25 High Courts by 30 June 2026, up from 2,444 in January. (Source: PIB.)

5Chapter 5: Current Affairs, State Updates

Current Affairs

Updates to the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha

• Punjab: e-Filing 3.0 is implemented in all District Courts, with virtual-hearing infrastructure under eCourts Phase III (25 July 2026). (Source: PIB.)
• Andhra Pradesh: the Centre issued a ₹8.79 crore Mother Sanction for FY 2026-27.
• This is under the judicial-infrastructure Centrally Sponsored Scheme, running since 1993-94 and now extended to 30 September 2026. (Source: PIB.)
• Madhya Pradesh: 67 Fast Track Special Courts, including 56 exclusive POCSO Courts, are functional under the FTSC scheme. (Source: PIB.)
• Judge strength: Karnataka’s sanctioned strength is 1,398, with 1,278 court halls and 1,199 residential units.
• Himachal Pradesh’s sanctioned strength is 192, with 180 court halls and 161 residential units, as of 31 May 2026. (Source: PIB.)
• Odisha, ADR: 16 ADR Centres work across 16 districts, including Ganjam and Kandhamal.
• The remaining 14 districts, including Boudh and Nayagarh, are served by Mediation Centres under the District Legal Services Authority. (Source: PIB.)
• Odisha, ICT (23 July 2026): 817 of 845 courts have ICT hardware under Phase III.
• By 30 June 2026, 42.96 lakh legacy case records (24.17 crore pages) were digitised in the state. (Source: PIB.)
• Nationwide FTSCs: 775 Fast Track Special Courts, including 398 exclusive POCSO courts, were functional across 29 States/UTs as of 30 April 2026.
• The Centre has released ₹1,259.51 crore to states under the scheme since its inception. (Source: PIB.)
• Legal aid: DISHA has been extended as DISHA 2.0 for 2026-31.
• In Jammu & Kashmir, its Tele-Law service gave 7.63 lakh pre-litigation legal-advice consultations by 30 June 2026. (Source: PIB.)

An online notary portal

• On 29 June 2026, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal launched a Fresh Application Module on the Notary Portal.
• It is for online Notary Public appointments under the Notaries Act, 1952. (Source: PIB.)
• The Department of Legal Affairs built it with the National Informatics Centre.
• Eligible advocates apply online with automated workflows, replacing a paper process.
• The Ministry framed it as part of the Digital India push toward paperless, citizen-centric governance.
• Applications open periodically, based on need.

Quick Q&A

• Phase III outlay? ₹7,210 crore.
• Phase I years? 2011-2015.
• eSewa Kendra target? 4,400.
• Who launched Phase III? CJI Surya Kant.
• Funds go to? High Courts.