The Virtual Court (traffic) and e-Challan project have been inaugurated in Assam on November 12, 2020 by Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, the chief minister of Assam.
- Maharashtra’s second virtual court called “Nyay Kaushal” was recently inaugurated on October 31, 2020 by Shri Arvind Bobde, the Chief Justice of India and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud of the Supreme Court at Judicial Officers Training Institute in Nagpur.
What is Virtual Court?
- Virtual court is an initiative of E-Committee of Supreme Court along with Department of Justice under Union Ministry of Law& Justice.
- Virtual Court is an online court being managed by Virtual Judge (which is not a person but an algorithm) whose jurisdiction can be extended to entire state and working hours may be 24X7.
- There is no brick& mortar building of the Virtual court.
- In a trial by Virtual Court, neither litigant shall come to the court nor will Judge have to sit physically in the court to adjudicate the case.
- The communication may only be in electronic form and the sentencing and further payment of fine or compensation will also be online.
- Only single process is allowed and there can be no argument. It may be proactive admission of guilt by the accused or proactive compliance of the cause by defendant on receipt of the summons in electronic form.
- On payment of Fine, such matters may be treated as disposed off. Citizen neither have to wait in lines in courts nor have to confront Traffic Police man.
- It will increase productivity of citizen as well as judicial officers. It will promote greater accountability and less corruption in Traffic Police Department thus bettering life of people.
- In Assam due to Virtual Court work of 10 judges will be done by only single judge thus sparing 9 Judges for judicial work.
- A Virtual Court was inaugurated in Delhi on 26th July 2019 and in Haryana on 17th August 2019 to initially try Traffic Challan cases.
- Currently there are 9 Virtual courts functioning in India- Delhi (2 Courts), Haryana (Faridabad), Maharashtra (Pune), Madras, Karnataka (Bengaluru), Maharashtra (Nagpur), Kerala (Kochi) and Assam (Gauhati).
- They are all dealing with Traffic Challan cases only.
(Source: PIB)
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