Supreme Court judge Justice B R Gavai on Friday inaugurated the country’s first exclusive Digital Court dedicated to handling cases under the Negotiable Instruments Act. The inauguration took place during an event held at the Kerala High Court Auditorium.

Justice Gavai also launched the online dispute resolution platform, We-Solv Virtual Solution Maker, designed to facilitate online deliberations by all stakeholders. Additionally, he inaugurated a Model Digital Court Room conceived by the Kerala High Court, which is specifically designed to address the limitations of traditional courtrooms.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who attended the event, inaugurated Special Courts in Ernakulam and Alappuzha. These courts are dedicated to handling cases under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the BUDS Act (Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Act, 2019), respectively.

During his address, Justice Gavai highlighted the significance of technological advancements in the judiciary, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that the Supreme Court began virtual hearings within 48 hours of the lockdown, stating, "As all of you are aware, when Justice Chandrachud, as his Lordship then was, had dealt with a public interest litigation, that too virtually with regard to the supply of oxygen to various states. And therefore, this technology provided solace to the millions of Indian citizens who otherwise would have been deprived of the right to access to justice."

Justice Gavai emphasised the importance of ensuring justice is accessible to everyone, regardless of financial or geographical constraints. "Justice should not be denied to a person on account of his incapacity to pay a lawyer. Also, justice should not be denied to him/her because of his/her geographical reasons, because he/she cannot reach the higher courts. And we have seen that on account of the invention of technology, even a person sitting in the remotest part of the country can directly appear before the Supreme Court," he said. He expressed confidence that these technological advancements would help in providing easy and affordable justice to the last citizen, contributing to the realisation of social, economic, and political justice.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, speaking at the event, stressed the importance of integrating technology into all aspects of government. "At such a time, it is imperative that all organs of the government adapt more and more to technological advancement. While we embrace technology and the solutions it offers, it is also important that we take the necessary precaution in dealing with the challenges it poses as well," Vijayan said.

State Law Minister P Rajeeve inaugurated the newly constructed security-cum-facilitation block at the high court complex, and Finance Minister K N Balagopal inaugurated the CCTV surveillance system.

Nandan Nilekani, the mentor of PUCAR, the knowledge partner of the Open and Networked Court System, also spoke at the event.

The event was attended by Supreme Court Justices Rajesh Bindal and C T Ravikumar, Kerala High Court Acting Chief Justice A Muhammad Mushtaq, Kerala High Court judges Justice A K Jayashankar Nambiar and Justice V Raja Vijayaraghavan, and Advocate General K Gopalakrishna Kurup, among others.

Notably, Chief Justice of India, Justice D Y Chandrachud, was originally scheduled to inaugurate the event but cancelled his appearance reportedly due to ill health.

Image source: LiveLaw