J&K achieves 96.4% digital coverage of courtrooms

Srinagar, August 01: Jammu and Kashmir has achieved a 96.4% digital coverage of its courtrooms under the national e-Courts Mission Mode Project, making it one of the better-performing regions in terms of IT integration in the justice delivery system.As per details available, 248 out of 257 courtrooms under the jurisdiction of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are now equipped with fully functional IT infrastructure including electronic display systems and video conferencing facilities, which have become essential for faster and more transparent case hearings.It also said that Rs 14.53 crore was spent in the financial year 2024–25 alone to upgrade and maintain IT infrastructure in J&K courts, a jump from Rs 6.52 crore allocated in the previous year, and just Rs 1 crore in 2020–21.The e-Courts Project Phase III (2023–2027), with a total national budget of Rs 7,210 crore, aims at end-to-end digital transformation of courts, including digitization of case records, cloud infrastructure, e-filing systems, live courtroom audio-video streaming (CLASS), and the setup of eSewa Kendras.Across India, more than 23,000 District and Subordinate courts have been integrated into the e-Courts platform. Jammu and Kashmir has shown consistent progress, with courtrooms now increasingly adopting digital tools for daily functioning.Officials said the ongoing investment in courtroom digitization will improve transparency, accessibility, and the pace of justice delivery, especially in a geographically diverse region like Jammu and Kashmir.It also said that new technologies such as Online Dispute Resolution and paperless courts will soon be rolled out as part of the J&K High Court’s broader modernization roadmap.