An e filing system (version 1.0) has been rolled out for the electronic filing of legal papers. This allows the lawyers to access and upload documents related to the cases from any location 24X7 which makes coming to the court for filing of papers unnecessary. Further the details of the case entered in the eFiling application are consumed in the CIS software and hence chances of mistakes are minimized.
The new e-filing 3.0 Portal was inaugurated on 9th April 2021 and is accessible on https://filing.ecourts.gov.in. In the new version, new tab is provided which allows Advocates and litigants to record their oath with in-system video recording while uploading documents. The new version has also provided new dashboard including the options of my partners, Case Filing, Vakalatnama, pleading, e-payments, applications and portfolio. Help section provided in the new version provides tutorial videos, FAQ and user manual. It also provided option to litigant to send offer to the Advocates. The new portal also provides the option of indexing of the documents for the Advocates.
Draft eFiling rules have been formulated and circulated to the High Courts for adoption. A total of 21 High Courts have adopted the model rules of e-Filing as on 29.02.2024. An SOP has been formulated by a High-level committee comprising of judges of High Courts for providing a uniform set of guidelines for usage of eFiling in Courts. There has been a surge in the number of lawyers and litigants registering for the e filing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To promote eFiling, all Central & State Government departments including the PSUs have been requested to use e filing in all commercial disputes coming up in the commercial courts. Instructions have been issued by eCommittee to all HCs to ensure that all Government litigation should be e-filed by January 2022. A similar communication has also been shared by the DoJ to all Ministries requesting to use e filing in all Government litigation by January 2022.