CJI reinstates Justice MB Lokur as e-panel in-charge

New Delhi: Chief Justice JS Khehar has reversed his predecessor Justice TS Thakur's decision and reinstated Justice MB Lokur as judge in-charge of Supreme Court's e-panel.

The e-Committee set up in 2004 is a body constituted by the Government under the Supreme Court for policy formation on and implementation of Information and Communication Technology in the courts across the Country.

Chief Justice J S Khehar, who is the patron in-chief of the panel, reinstated Justice Lokur as judge in-charge of the committee on January 20, as per a Supreme Court notification.

Justice Lokur, who is the fifth senior most judge in apex court in the hierarchy, was dropped from the e-panel on November 9, 2016 by Justice Thakur and substituted by former Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court Sunil Ambwani.

No reason was cited for taking out Justice Lokur from heading the panel then.

Besides Justice Lokur, other members of the panel are Justice A M Khanwilkar, Justice D Y Chandrachud and two others. The invitee members include Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, Justice B D Ahmed of Delhi High Court among others.

In 2012, when Justice S H Kapadia was Chief Justice of India, Justice Lokur was made as judge in-charge of the panel for the first time.

The panel under Justice Lokur had successfully launched National Judicial Data Grid for district courts across the country and is now working on a similar grid for High Courts.

The grid gives data of pendency of cases (both civil and criminal) of district courts in every state. It gives details of cases pending over 10 years and five years, besides cases filed by senior citizens, women and other related data. P