Delhi High Court Directs District Courts To Adopt Standardized Online Filing System, Issues Directions

The Delhi High Court has directed all the district courts in the national capital to adopt a “standardized online filing system” for pleadings, documents, and miscellaneous applications and issued a slew of directions to be followed till the time appropriate Rules are in place.

A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula directed the District Courts to centralize all filings related to ongoing and pending cases, similar to the existing procedure for new cases.

“This system must provide each submission with a unique filing number and issue an acknowledgment receipt to the party or attorney submitting the documents. Filing of miscellaneous applications, documents, pleadings etc. must be methodically logged at centralized filing counters, overseen by designated personnel,” the court said.

It added that the respective Principal District and Sessions judges must also ensure that the transition is seamless and training is provided to all relevant stakeholders, thereby minimizing the disruptions in court proceedings.

Until the above measures are in place, the bench has instructed all the court masters in the District Courts to maintain an inward dak register in which filings related to miscellaneous applications, documents, pleadings etc. will be logged by them and an acknowledgment number will also be issued to the filing counsel or parties.

This temporary system shall cease once the centralized filing is operationalized, the court said.

It added that the Patiala House Court will serve as a “testing ground” for implementing the centralised filing on trial basis and that the system will then be rolled out to other district courts following a review by the High Court.

“…. we direct all the District Courts to augment their existing online filing system to incorporate a procedure for filing of miscellaneous applications, aligning them with the existing procedure for new cases. They shall also publish a manual/ handbook/ tutorial elucidating the procedure for e-filing documents by counsel/ parties, with relevant screenshots, on their website. The Information Technology Committee of this Court is requested to extend necessary aid to the District Courts for integration and operationalisation of the online filing system,” the court said.

The bench ordered that the interim directions shall be diligently adhered to, until the formal inauguration and operationalisation of online filing system or till such time the High Court’s Rules Committee finalises and promulgates rules on the issue.

“The matter shall be reviewed in the next hearing scheduled for 09th October, 2023, wherein updates regarding the implementation of both the centralized and online systems must be presented along with further developments of the deliberations of the Rules Committee of this High Court,” the court said.

The bench passed the order in a public interest litigation stating that there was no standardised procedure for issuing a filing number or acknowledgement receipt for such submissions in the district courts.

Observing that the “glaring procedural void” not only makes it difficult to track and verify filings, but also opens doors for potential manipulation, errors, and mismanagement, the bench said that every application, pleading, document or any other submission to the court should be duly acknowledged with a unique filing number in order to ensure traceability.

“It is crucial that the requisite technological infrastructure be established to support this system. Furthermore, it is essential that lawyers and concerned parties not only have the option to utilize this online method, but also receive appropriate training to navigate it effectively. We acknowledge the challenges inherent in such a transition. The initial stages would necessitate the allocation of resources for training and demand adaptability from all stakeholders. However, we are firm in our conviction that, in the long run, this system will usher in an era of greater efficiency, transparency, and reliability,” the court said.

Case Title: KARAN S THUKRAL v. THE DISTRICT & SESSIONS JUDGE & ORS

Citation: 2023 LiveLaw (Del) 731

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