The Union Budget for 2024-25 has allocated Rs 1,500 crore for the implementation of phase three of the e-courts project which was launched last year to use technological solutions to reduce pendency of cases and make justice more accessible to the common man.
In the previous fiscal, Rs 825 crore was allocated to the project that was formulated under the National Policy and Action Plan for Implementation of Information and Communication Technology. The union cabinet had on September 13, 2023, approved the project as a central sector scheme for four years and cleared a total budgetary allocation of Rs 7,210 crore for its implementation.
The total allocation is in keeping with the recommendations of the e-committee headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud.
Amongst the aims of the e-courts project is the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning for data analysis and reducing the pendency of cases. It also focuses on developing virtual courts, going paperless by doing away with case files and digitising the entire court records.
The total budgetary allocation made for the Ministry of Law and Justice is Rs 6788.33 crore, out of which Rs 5940.95 crore is meant for the departments of law and justice, Rs 525.49 crore is allocated towards the Supreme Court of India and Rs 321.89 crore is earmarked for the Election Commission.
A further breakdown of the budgetary allocation for the ministry shows that as part of centrally sponsored schemes meant for building and maintaining infrastructure facilities for judiciary, an allocation of Rs 1000 crore has been made.
Fast track special courts will get Rs 200 crore from the Nirbhaya Fund under the National Mission for Safety for Women. The allocation made towards electronic voting machines has come down from Rs 2502.30 crore in the previous fiscal, which was also an election year, to Rs 34.84 crore in the current financial year.
The expenditure for the conduct of the Lok Sabha elections was Rs 1538.86 crore in the 2023-24, and Rs 1000 crore in the current financial year. The total expenditure on elections in 2023-24 was Rs 3181.02 crore and the allocation towards elections in 2024-25 is Rs 2418.20 crore.
