Islamabad: The National Judicial Automation Committee (NJAC) has decided to develop a plan of action with a specific time-frame
to bring about a technological transformation in courts.
Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, judge Supreme Court of Pakistan, and the Chairman of the National Judicial Automation Committee, chaired the first meeting of the NJAC, according to a press release on Thursday.
During the discussion, the committee acknowledged that while high courts have made efforts to automate the court system, more robust and technology-oriented court processes and holistic data of cases, lawyers, and judgments are needed to make the system efficient and transparent.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah proposed the concept of technological transformation, which involved forming a National Judicial Data Exchange Policy. The policy is aimed at providing stakeholders and policymakers in the justice sector with real-time data to monitor and formulate policies that ensure the efficient delivery of justice.
The policy aim
s to create a National Law Digest that will store all the judgments issued by the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the High Courts. This will allow the litigants to obtain authentic copies of judgments. Additionally, the repository will be AI-equipped, which will enable legal researchers and the legal community to conduct precise and relevant legal research.
Furthermore, the policy aims to implement a national AI-powered scheduler to manage court calendars and assign hearing dates, reducing delays caused by unnecessary adjournments. In addition, the vision includes the implementation of online and digital payment systems for all court-related procedures.
It also involves constructing verification infrastructure and facilities to verify the identities and documents of litigants using biometrics and other advanced verification methods.
Mr. Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar emphasized the need for data standardization, IT training for court staff, and a digital digest of case laws.
The Committee has decided to develo
p a plan of action with a specific time-frame to bring about a transformation. To achieve this, they will design templates and mechanisms to collect real-time data uniformly.
The Committee will form a commission, comprising IT experts to visit the courts and gather information.
The Chair emphasized the importance of developing a centralized data system for the entire judiciary to ensure the efficient delivery of justice and reduce delays in case disposal.
The meeting was attended by several members including Mr Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, a judge in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Mr. Justice Dr. Syed Muhammad Anwer, a judge in the Federal Shariat Court, Mr. Justice Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar, a judge in the High Court of Sindh, Mr Justice Syed Muhammad Attique Shah, a judge in the Peshawar High Court, Mr Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, Senior Puisne Judge in the High Court of Balochistan, and Mr Justice Babar Sattar, judge of the Islamabad High Court, Islamabad.