New Delhi, Sep 3 Chief Justice of India Surya Kant will flag off 26 Mobile eSewa Vans on Friday as part of an initiative aimed at taking eCourts services, legal aid and dispute resolution facilities to the doorsteps of citizens in remote and underserved areas.
The flag-off ceremony, organised by the eCommittee of the Supreme Court in collaboration with the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and the Department of Justice, will be held at the AB Lobby of the Supreme Court's Administrative Buildings Complex.
The 26 vans being launched from the Supreme Court will constitute the first tranche of a larger fleet of 73 Mobile eSewa Vans that will be progressively deployed across designated High Court and district court jurisdictions in the country, said an apex court statement.
The initiative is conceived as an extension of the eCourts Project and seeks to bridge the digital divide and promote universal access to justice, besides spreading legal awareness in remote areas.
The vans will provide services including digital e-filing, secure e-payments, mobile lok adalats, legal literacy programmes and other eCourts facilities directly to citizens.
Equipped with high-speed connectivity, video conferencing facilities and onboard power backup, the mobile units will also facilitate secure remote hearings and witness depositions from the field, according to a press note.
The initiative is aimed at “democratising access to justice” by ensuring that technology-enabled judicial and legal services reach people who may face difficulties in accessing conventional court infrastructure.
Justice Vikram Nath, chairman of the Supreme Court eCommittee, and Justice Anjani Kumar Mishra, vice chairman of the eCommittee, will also attend the ceremony. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal is also scheduled to be present.
According to the statement, top court judges, senior officials of the Department of Justice, NALSA and the Ministry of Home Affairs, besides members of the eCommittee and representatives of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, National Informatics Centre, the Attorney General, Solicitor General and Bar Council of India, are expected to attend.
