Date:12/04/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/04/12/stories/2006041209690400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

High Court using IT tools to keep in touch with lower courts

B.S. Ramesh

Data warehousing, digitisation of records in the pipeline

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court has embarked upon an ambitious project to computerise the judicial network in the State, including district and taluk courts.

After introducing videoconferencing between the courts and the Central Jail near Parappana Agrahara here, the High Court has plans to introduce videoconferencing between it and all the district courts.

Audio/videoconferencing has already been provided in the City Civil Court complex, the Magistrate Court complex and the Mayo Hall Court complex in Bangalore and in the district courts in Dharwad, Belgaum, Bellary, Gulbarga and Mysore.

Undertrial prisoners are digitally produced for remand through audio/video link in these courts. The audio/video linkage will be extended to other districts in a phased manner.

The High Court has plans to modernise the system of communication between itself and the lower courts. As of now communication is through telephone, fax, letters and, in some cases, personal interaction. All these have their own weaknesses and, in many cases, clarifications or details of cases and other matters sought by the High Court have been delayed due to the lack of a foolproof and efficient system of communication.

The High Court also wants to introduce data warehousing where all details pertaining to the Karnataka judiciary will be stored. Other plans include digitisation of records, provision of digital signatures and interconnectivity between the High Court and the Advocate-General's office, the Law Department, the Government and the lower courts.

S.R. Bannurmath, the judge who is in charge of the computerisation programme, says a host of other information technology tools, such as Interactive Voice Response system, touch-screen information kiosks for advocates and litigants, electronic display boards outside court halls to indicate the case being heard and Web-based systems for subordinate court case status and inquiry are being introduced.

Court halls in the lower courts and other sections in each court are connected through a local area network (LAN) to a server. The servers in the taluk courts are connected to the district court server. The district court servers are connected to the main server in the High Court.

The lower courts have already benefited from the computerisation programme. Information technology is also being used in the cash receiving counter, caveat counter, judges chambers, filing counter, statistics and accounts branches, and for document management, court fee details, summons generation, recording of evidence and in the administration.