Bangalore, Sept: The COURTNIC Information system of the National Informatics Centre was inaugurated by the Chief Justice of India Mr Justice MN Venkatachalaiah on September 25, 1993. COURTNIC was simultaneously inaugurated in the Supreme Court, New Delhi, by Mr Justice SR Pandian. In his inaugural speech Mr Justice Venkatachalaiah said COURTNIC marked the commencement of a series of computerization schemes in the Judiciary. The Country had entered an age of technology in the administration of justice. He also suggested that the High Courts use computers for classification of cases which would facilitate speedy disposal of the cases.

History has been divided into ages based on the tools that man has used during a particular period. The Paleolithic Age got its name from the crude stone tools used, the Neolithic Age from the tools of more polished stone; and from the age of metals we are now on the threshold of what can justifiably be termed the Computer Age. No walk of life is today without the use of computers; and in India, the combined efforts of the Indian Judiciary and the National Informatics Centre has introduced computers into yet another field of activity --- the Judiciary.

The National Informatics Centre has been intimately associated with the Indian Judiciary for the last four years. The successful implementation of an Information System (IS) to aid the Registry of the Supreme Court of India in decision making marked NIC's first step towards computerization of Courts. When the Chief Justices' Conference, held in 1991, took an unanimous decision to request NIC to take up the project of computerization of all High Courts and interconnect them through NICNET (NIC's computer-based satellite-communication network), it was but a judicious expression of the Indian Judiciary's confidence in NIC. Thus COURTNIC --- Supreme Court Pending Cases Information --- was conceptualized.

COURTNIC was formally inaugurated by the Chief Justice of India, Mr Justice MN Venkatachaliah on September 25, 1993 at Bangalore.

Courts Information on NICNET

COURTNIC is an IS designed to provide information on the status of cases in the Apex Court to a wide range of Users. The utilization of NICNET ensures speed and easy accessibility. COURTNIC will cater to the information requirements of Judges of the Lower Courts, Advocates, the Litigant Public and still others who are interested in the going-ons in the highest Court of the Country. COURTNIC gives litigants in the Supreme Court access to information regarding the status of their cases, from anywhere in the Country.

Packaged Information for Users

Though the information requirements of different groups of Users is varied in nature, it was found that information of common interest to the Legal Community can be derived from the large databases which were created in the Supreme Court of India to aid the Registry of the Supreme Court in decision making. COURTNIC makes this information available to Users.

The information available on COURTNIC is included in the following options:

  • Case Status Report
  • Through Lower Court Case Details
  • Eliminated Matters
  • Daily Cause List
  • Help

CASE STATUS REPORT:

This option gives the latest information with respect to the status of a case.

If a matter is already disposed of, it shows the date of disposal. If a matter is adjourned to a specific date, and the list is not yet out; it gives information as to when the matter is going to be listed. If a matter is adjourned, and the list is already out at the time of query, it gives the date of listing.

If a matter is freshly filed and is not yet listed automatically, it gives its waiting position number

OBJECTIVES OF COURTNIC

  • To provide on-line Apex Court information to the litigant community across the Country within the shortest possible time
  • To help the Registry of the Apex Court in the execution of its functions by providing easy flow of information.
  • To inculcate informatics culture among the litigant public.

knowing which the User can roughly estimate when it is going to be listed.

If the matter is in the Regular Hearing (Final Hearing) category, or if at all, it is in the weekly list, its position in the course of the week is indicated.

Whenever no listing date is available, it simply says it does not have any information with respect to listing.

For every matter, the following set of information is available:

  • Case Number
  • Title
  • Names of the Advocates
  • Subject Category of the Matter
  • Information connected with the Matter
  • How many times it has been listed
  • Listing Details
  • Lower Court Details

This information can be retrieved on the basis of the Case Number, the Cause Title or the Name of an Advocate concerned.

THROUGH LOWER COURT DETAILS: Appeals arising out of Lower Courts and Tribunals and pending in the Supreme Court, can be retrieved on the basis of Lower Court case details such as Lower Court impinged judgement number, date of judgement and name of the Lower Court.

ELIMINATED MATTERS: If the Court has already adjourned a matter to a later date but, due to some reason, the matter has failed to appear in the day's Cause List, it will appear in the Eliminated Matters List.

THE DAILY LIST: This option provides the User with a complete daily list for a given date. However, if the User knows in which Court his matter is appearing, he can also query for and get a Daily List for any Specific Court.