Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has decided to set up a high-powered committee headed by Supreme Court Justice Aravind Kumar to prepare a blueprint for the modernisation of courts across the country and secure a government allocation of Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 crore for the purpose.
The CJI announced the constitution of the ‘Judicial Infrastructure Advisory Committee’ to address infrastructural deficiencies in courts through substantial financial support from the government.Apart from Justice Kumar, the committee will comprise Justices Debangsu Basak, Ashwani Kumar Mishra, Somasekhar Sundaresan of the high courts of Calcutta, Punjab and Haryana, and Bombay, respectively.
The director general of the Central Public Works Department and the secretary general of the Supreme Court will also be members of the panel.The committee has been tasked with submitting its detailed findings and funding requirements to Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, by August 31 this year.
It will focus on seven key areas, including identifying systemic constraints, improving facilities for litigants and lawyers, and implementing cutting-edge technology to accelerate case disposal.The panel will also focus on the “e-courts” initiative to bridge the digital divide and the construction of “modern court complexes” designed for the 21st century.
The committee has been tasked to prepare a report on the infrastructural requirements and submit the same to Sanjeev Sanyal, member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Economic Advisory Council, by August 31.
Justice Aravind Kumar of the Supreme Court will chair the committee. Besides Justice Kumar, the committee also includes Calcutta High Court Justice Debangsu Basak, Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra, Bombay High Court Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan, Central Public Works Department Director General and Supreme Court's Secretary General.
The committee's mandate covers seven areas- identifying constraints faced by duty-holders of the justice delivery system, suggesting adequate infrastructure for judges, lawyers, litigants, and visitors, recommending technology for faster case disposal, computerisation of courts as a step towards e-courts, citizen-centric services to bridge the digital divide, setting up modern court complexes and improving working conditions for judicial officers and staff.
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