Delhi High Court unveils e-filing centres to help advocates/litigants

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday (June 12) commenced the e-filing facility in company and taxation jurisdictions on 25th October 2013 from a single e-filing centre. This was extended to two e-filing centres and one e-filing counter in every District Court complex. The e-filing facility was also made available arbitration matters in February 2015. 

The advocates/litigants-in-person are required to carry their petitions/applications/affidavits in a soft copy and have them converted to a PDF format at the e-filing centre(s) set up for that purpose. As soon as the case is filed electronically, a diary number is generated and communicated to the advocates/litigant-in-person via email. 

We have, with the help of our internal team, developed a state of the art software for e-filing which enables the advocates and litigants to file their cases in digital soft copy at any time from anywhere without having to carry bulky paper files to e-filing counters.

The software installed makes provision for e-filing of not only the main case but also for filing of applications, documents, Caveat etcetera. This software also enables the registry to scrutinize filings, point out defects, mark and list matters via e- mode.

The e-filing software is a comprehensive application that provides for paperless processing of cases from the stage of filing until the disposal. The integration of electronic court-fee module is an added feature of the e-filing system.

The main objective of e-filing is to shift to a system of paperless courts whereby from the institution of the action till its disposal and archival no paper is used. Such paperless courts will also remove various shortcomings of the paper-based system like storage, maintenance, wastage of a lot of paper and the world-wide move from paper to digital format. 

With the unveiling of the e-filing system, the Delhi High Court has attempted to take the autonomy of the common litigant to file actions to the next level. The online e-filing facility will be inaugurated by Hon'ble Mr. Justice D.N. Patel, Chief Justice, Delhi High Court on 13th June 2020 at 5:00 PM via Webinar in presence of other Companion Hon'ble Judges of this Court and other distinguished guests.

The online e- filing is a part of the High Court's ongoing effort to quickly adapt itself to a difficult situation that has arisen because of coronavirus pandemic. This facility will enable lawyers/litigants to file their cases round the clock. This will also reduce the footfall in court premises which is today the need of the hour. 

To emphasise the special features of this software include: 

i) Cases/applications/documents/reply/rejoinder can be filed from anywhere and anytime.
ii) Cases can be filed in any jurisdiction.
iii)Advocates/litigants can register themselves while sitting at home. 
iv)The option of password reset also available.
V) The main case, application, documents, caveat etc. can be filed conveniently. 
vi)The name of scrutiny assistant is also displayed in the inbox.
vii)Status of previously filed cases, fresh cases, caveats can be found at a click of a 
button.
vii)Defects raised by the registry are communicated to advocates/litigants' registered 
email ID and mobile number. The option of giving remarks concerning defects is also available. 
viii) The feature of caveat search also present. 
ix) Personal details like mobile number, address & email id can be changed at any point. 

Notably, a tutorial video has been uploaded on the Delhi High Court website: www.delhihighcourt.nic.in explaining how to use the software and procedure for registration, making the document OCR searchable, appending digital signatures, book-marking the document and filing caveat.