THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

NEW DELHI, JULY 23, 2026

Odisha's judicial system has made significant strides towards complete digitisation, with 42.96 lakh legacy case records comprising 24.17 crore pages digitised and 361 courts operating in paperless mode, Union Minister of Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal, informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday in a written reply.

The e-Courts Mission Mode Project, aimed at strengthening the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the judiciary, is being implemented across the country in a phased manner. The Department of Justice, in coordination with the e-Committee of the Supreme Court of India, is executing the project through the respective High Courts.

In Odisha, the project is being implemented under the guidance of the Orissa High Court across all district and subordinate courts. As part of Phase III, 817 of the state's 845 courts and 203 of the 215 court complexes have already been equipped with ICT hardware for court computerisation.

As on June 30, 2026, 42.96 lakh legacy case records, comprising 24.17 crore pages, had been digitised across the Orissa High Court and district courts. At present, 18 High Court benches and 343 district courts are functioning in a paperless mode using PDF-based tools, enabling seamless digital access to case records and court proceedings.

The digital transformation has also extended to court management systems. All 30 district court websites have been migrated to the S3WAAS platform, while 320 court establishments have successfully transitioned from the Case Information System (CIS) 3.0 to CIS 4.0. Since January 1, 2026, the CIS has integrated data relating to 3.10 lakh FIRs and 2.29 lakh chargesheets through the Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) platform.

The report further stated that e-Filing 3.0 has been implemented across all courts in the state, with 1.31 lakh cases e-filed till June 30, 2026. Video conferencing facilities have also been made available in every court, facilitating 7.61 lakh virtual hearings during the period.

To improve access to justice, especially in remote areas, 184 eSewa Kendras have been established across Odisha, enabling citizens to avail various digital court services.

Under the e-Courts Project Phase III (2023–2027), the Orissa High Court has received substantial financial support for expanding digital infrastructure. Against sanctioned funds of ₹9.79 crore in 2023-24, ₹6.77 crore was utilised. In 2024-25, ₹53.24 crore was spent out of ₹58.48 crore sanctioned. During 2025-26, ₹14.12 crore was utilised from an allocation of ₹16.09 crore, while ₹0.43 crore had been utilised out of ₹7.09 crore sanctioned for 2026-27 as of July 17, 2026.

The government said the project envisages large-scale digitisation of pending, disposed of and historical case records to ensure their long-term preservation, faster retrieval, reduced physical storage requirements and improved accessibility for litigants, advocates and judicial officers. It also aims to establish a comprehensive digital and paperless court ecosystem covering the entire lifecycle of a case through end-to-end digital court functioning.

To further strengthen digital judicial services, a tripartite agreement has been signed among the Orissa High Court, the Government of Odisha, and the Government of India for securing the necessary financial support to expand digital court services.