Top judge announces digitalisation of courts

E-services, digitalisation of court records, a new anti-corruption hotline to be introduced

ISLAMABAD:

Chief Justice Yahya Afridi addressed a room full of court associates at the start of the new judicial year, highlighting not only the areas needing improvement but also the steps already taken by the Supreme Court, which are now being formalised.

There was emphasis on digitalisation and how to use the available technology in order to make the judicial system even more efficient. The order of the day was how to make the judiciary more efficient and to address the "functioning" of the courts and the "administrative side" of things.

The top judge put forth five pillars that would integrate technology in the day-to-day processes of the courts. The first was "to improve service delivery through technology - from less paper to paperless."

He explained that the court in the past year slowly started to integrate steps, such as digital case filing, and that case files can now be transferred online and fully tracked too. E-services such as e-affidavits and digital delivery of orders have been implemented. Notices will now be distributed through WhatsApp and SMS.

One of the focuses, alongside digitalisation and more so a reasoning, was to make the matters of the court more accessible to the common citizen, which is what the second pillar addresses.

A hotline has been set up solely dedicated to providing an anonymous and safe way for citizens to report incidents of various corrupt practices, without having to fear the consequences of lodging the complaint. Each report will be tracked and addressed within 30-60 days, depending on the nature of the complaint.

When addressing the financial aspect of the judiciary, it was announced that an external audit of the court accounts from 2024-2025 was conducted by the Audit Department of the Government of Pakistan. The result of that audit has reached the courts and the concerns raised are being addressed.

The third pillar on the agenda was "strengthening legal and regulatory framework", referring to the steps the court is going to take to utilise Artificial Intelligence. Most of these procedures were already in practised and advised but now they will be formlaised through the implementation of rules.

"Everyone talks about technology and artificial intelligence," and so the 61,000 files will be digitally scanned and the project will be completed in six months. Once the cases have been scanned, the use of AI will be implemented and used for tasks such as scheduling cases.

The chief justice stated that judges are not restricted from travelling during vacations during judicial recess however, for ordinary leave, the Judges must inform the administration. These SOPs would further address court rest houses and vehicles, and the granting of leave for judges.