Chief Justice Muralidhar Inaugurates 57 More Paperless Courts In Odisha; Fulfils Promise Of 100 Paperless Courts Ahead Of His Retirement

While addressing the National Conference on Digitization, e-Initiatives and Paperless Courts, the Chief Justice had promised to set up 100 paperless Courts within a span of 3 months in addition to the existing 34 paperless Courts which were inaugurated last year by then CJI Justice Uday Umesh Lalit.

The aforesaid commitment was fulfilled with the inauguration of 50 paperless Courts on 3^rd July and 57 paperless Courts on 1^st August, 2023. The total number of paperless Courts in the District Judiciary of the State has now reached 141.

Speaking at the inaugural function, Justice Muralidhar said that as preparatory to the paperless Courts, digitization of pending as well as disposed of records in the Districts has been taken up in the District Court Digitization Hubs and training has been imparted to Judicial Officers and other stakeholders across the State by the master-trainers and the technical team headed by the Central Project Coordinator.

He said that the journey which started in September 2022 with inauguration of 34 paperless Courts has culminated in making Odisha the first State to have so many paperless Courts at the District level.

Justice Muralidhar labelled paperless Courts as ‘citizen centric measure’ and emphasized on the impact of paperless Courts on the reconfiguration of space and the whole architecture and atmosphere of the Courts.

The Chief Justice also informed that while Ganjam was the first District where all the Courts in its headquarters had become paperless, Khurda now became the second District to achieve the rare feat with all the Courts at Bhubaneswar going paperless. He hoped that the High Court would be completely paperless in both administrative and judicial side very soon and it would be replicated in the districts.

Speaking on the establishment of 4 new Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), the Chief Justice said it is a move to ensure timely justice to the rape victims and urged the retired Adhoc Judicial Officers posted in these Courts to work towards fulfilling the expectations of the litigants awaiting justice.