The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea seeking the inclusion of tribunals in the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG)
The NJDG is a comprehensive database of orders, judgments, and case details from 18,735 district and subordinate courts, as well as High Courts and the Supreme Court. It operates as an online platform under the eCourts Project.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra clarified that tribunals fall outside the current scope of the eCourts Project, which is specifically designed for district courts, High Courts, and the Supreme Court.
The bench emphasized that including tribunals in the NJDG would create funding challenges. “NJDG is part of the eCourts project, focusing on district courts, High Courts, and the Supreme Court. Including tribunals would cause funding problems,” the Court stated. “You may approach the Department of Justice regarding this. The eCourts project does not cover tribunals. Allocating funds to tribunals would divert the ₹7,000 crores designated for district courts, High Courts, and the Supreme Court.”
Advocate Kishan Chand Jain, representing the petitioner, argued that the Supreme Court could direct the allocation of additional funds to include tribunals in the NJDG. However, the Court reiterated that there is no administrative sanction for tribunals under the eCourts project. “Tribunals cannot be included now. The petitioner can seek other remedies under the law and approach the government,” the Court concluded while dismissing the plea.
NJDG data is updated in near real-time by connected district and taluka courts, providing information on judicial proceedings and decisions from all computerized district and subordinate courts in the country, along with the High Courts and the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court was integrated into the NJDG in September 2023.
(With inputs from agency)
Share your news, articles, deals, columns, or press releases with us! Click the link to submit and join our platform today.
