The Supreme Court eCommittee, in collaboration with the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and the Department of Justice, on Friday flagged off 26 Mobile eSewa Vans aimed at taking eCourts services, legal aid and dispute resolution facilities directly to citizens in remote and underserved areas.

The vans were flagged off at the Supreme Court's Administrative Buildings Complex in New Delhi as the first tranche of a planned fleet of 73 Mobile eSewa Vans to be progressively deployed across designated High Court and district court jurisdictions.

The initiative is part of the eCourts Project and is intended to address barriers faced by citizens who have limited access to physical court infrastructure, particularly those living in villages, tribal regions and other far-flung areas.

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, who is Patron-in-Chief of the eCommittee, inspected the technological infrastructure of the vans before the flag-off ceremony. He also demonstrated their video-conferencing and connectivity capabilities by connecting live with a High Court and a district court from inside one of the Mobile eSewa Vans.

The live interaction was intended to demonstrate the vans' ability to facilitate remote court proceedings, virtual hearings and other judicial engagements from locations outside conventional court complexes.

Mobile courts and legal aid at citizens' doorsteps

The Mobile eSewa Vans have been designed as mobile extensions of the eCourts system, combining digital judicial services with legal aid and dispute-resolution facilities.

According to the eCommittee, the vans will provide citizens with access to case status, next hearing dates, orders and judgments, besides assistance with e-filing and digital payments.

The vans will also support Mobile Lok Adalats and special drives for resolving disputes without requiring citizens to travel to court complexes. These will include facilities for addressing Motor Vehicles Act challans, pre-litigation disputes and certain utility and electricity-related disputes.

The initiative will additionally provide legal literacy programmes through audio-visual content in regional languages, with the objective of improving awareness of legal rights and available remedies.

The vans are equipped to facilitate video conferencing for remote hearings, mediations, witness depositions and other court proceedings where legally permissible.

High-speed connectivity and video conferencing facilities

The Mobile eSewa Vans have been fitted with multi-network 4G/5G routers, high-definition video-conferencing equipment, webcams, intercoms and public-address systems.

The onboard infrastructure includes 32-inch and 43-inch 4K displays, along with power-backup systems comprising an inverter, battery bank and generator. CCTV surveillance has also been installed in the vehicles.

The vans have air-conditioned interiors, seating facilities and water dispensers to provide a citizen-friendly environment while legal and judicial services are delivered from the field.

Bridging the digital and physical access gap

The eCommittee said the initiative is aimed at bridging the digital divide and extending the benefits of technology-enabled justice beyond courtroom walls.

By bringing court services closer to citizens, the project is expected to reduce the time and cost involved in travelling to court complexes and make legal services more accessible to people in geographically remote and marginalised communities.

The 26 vans flagged off on Friday form part of the larger 73-vehicle fleet that will be deployed across identified High Court and district court jurisdictions.

The ceremony was attended by Supreme Court judges and members of the eCommittee, including Justice Vikram Nath, Chairman of the eCommittee, Justice B.V. Nagarathna, Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha, Justice Arun Palli and Justice Anjani Kumar Mishra, Vice Chairman of the eCommittee.

Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, Attorney General R. Venkataramani, Secretary General of the Supreme Court Bharat Parashar, Secretary (Justice) Niraj Verma, senior Supreme Court Registry officials and representatives of NALSA were also present.

Bar Council of India Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra attended the ceremony as well.