SC
RTI PORTAL - POLITY
News: RTI portal to help people access information about Supreme Court operationalised
What's
in the news?
●
The Supreme Court launched its online
Right to Information (RTI) portal to help people access information about the
Supreme Court.
● The announcement about the RTI portal, through which people can file applications, was made by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud in his courtroom before his Bench began work for the day.
Key
takeaways:
●
The online RTI Portal has been initiated
to make it convenient for the citizens of India to access information about the
Supreme Court.
●
Earlier, the Right to Information (RTI)
applications at the Supreme Court had to be filed only via post.
● It was introduced by the e-Committee of the Supreme Court of India.
Judiciary
under RTI (Right To Information):
Supreme
Court Vs Subhash Chandra Agrawal Judgment:
●
A five-judge constitution bench of the
Supreme Court ruled that the office of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) is a public authority under the Right
To Information (RTI) Act 2005. Thus, the office of the CJI will now
entertain RTI applications.
● However the court held that RTI could not be used as a tool of surveillance. Judicial independence had to be kept in mind while dealing with transparency.
e-Committee
of the Supreme Court of India:
●
The e-Committee is the governing body
charged with overseeing the ‘e-Courts
Project’ conceptualized under the “National Policy and Action Plan for
Implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Indian
Judiciary-2005”.
● Former Chief Justice of India, Justice R.C. Lahoti proposed the constitution of the e-Committee.
Aim:
● To prepare Indian judiciary for the digital age and to make the justice delivery system more efficient and thus benefitting its various stakeholders.
Chairperson:
● The Chief Justice of India (CJI) is the patron-in-chief and chairperson of the e-committee.
Objectives:
The e-Committee is guided
by these objectives:
●
Interlinking
of all courts across the country.
●
ICT enablement of the Indian judicial
system.
●
Enabling courts to enhance judicial
productivity, both qualitatively and quantitatively.
● To make the justice delivery system accessible, cost-effective, transparent and accountable.
Important
Initiatives by the e-committee:
1.
E-Courts services mobile application:
●
Case status, cause lists, Court orders can
be accessed through this mobile app, making these services available 24X7.
2.
Virtual courts:
●
It is a concept, aimed at eliminating the
presence of litigants or lawyers in the court and for adjudication of cases on
a virtual platform.
3.
National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG):
●
The portal is a national repository of
data relating to cases pending and disposed of in all high courts, district and
taluka courts of the country.
4.
E-Sewa Kendras:
●
They enable litigants to obtain
information with respect to case status and to obtain copies of judgments and
orders. These centres also extend assistance in e-filing of cases.