Justice goes digital

The Supreme Court's recent move to make company court proceedings fully digital is a much-needed step toward a more efficient and honest justice system. With paperless processes already introduced in one court and soon expanding to the other two courts that deal with company matters, it is clear there is a genuine commitment to using technology to make things better. Even today, handling disputes in court often involves endless paperwork, chasing after missing files, bureaucratic delays and, unfortunately, opportunities for unfair practices. Consequently, many people in the country take advantage of these loopholes and come to view and treat the law as a mechanism for prolonging disputes instead of resolving them. Digitising company courts as a solution to some of these long-standing problems may therefore prove to be not only effective but also a timely step toward bringing the delivery of justice into the modern age. 

At the moment, just three High Court benches handle the legal affairs of more than three lakh registered companies in the country. These benches are overloaded with over 20,000 pending cases, along with other types of legal disputes they have to contend with. This creates a long wait for justice. Making matters worse, the traditional system is plagued by corruption at nearly every stage of the process. Whether it's getting a case onto the cause list, having an order typed or simply collecting a signed copy from the judge's chamber, bribes are often demanded at every turn. Shockingly, even the morning submission of hearing slips, approved by judges, often turns meaningless as bench officers allegedly drop cases from the day's list. Digitisation, in this context, could be a game-changer. When all case records and procedural steps are logged online, there is little room for tampering. Judges can then oversee case progress directly and keep tabs on the process in real time. On top of that, storing documents digitally eliminates the need for physical storage, thus saving valuable space. It would also reduce printing costs for both lawyers and clients.  

This move toward digitisation should be just the beginning. If it works well in company courts which it should, it must be expanded to other parts of the judiciary including the lower courts where millions of cases remain stuck for years. As the saying goes, justice delayed is justice denied, and for far too long, delays and corruption have made people lose faith in the court system. That said, going digital alone would not solve the backlog problem. It can certainly make things run more smoothly and help reduce the delays, but with too few judges, the pile-up of cases won't simply go away. Only through the appointment of extra judges can the judiciary realistically expect to reduce the backlog and ensure timely dispensation of justice.

The drive for digitisation must go hand in hand with efforts to make justice more accessible by decentralising the courts. Many residents in remote areas struggle to attend proceedings in district-level courts, leading to delays and higher expenses. Gradually shifting lower courts to the upazila level and establishing High Court benches to every divisional headquarter could solve this issue by bringing justice closer to communities. This would save time, cut travel costs and make the legal system less intimidating for ordinary citizens. If people can bank on their phones and access healthcare in their villages, why should seeking justice require such long journeys? A court system that is both digital and decentralised can ensure a justice delivery process that is easier, faster and fairer for them.