<h1>Justice.gov.in: SC’s and many HCs’ digitisation programmes are excellent initiatives. But beware of hackers</h1> public affairs, the Supreme Court introduced live-transcription of court proceedings on a screen and on Wednesday published the transcripts on its website. CJI Chandrachud, chair of SC’s e-committee, announced the measure as a constitution bench met to hear arguments in the case of Shiv Sena’s split. Live transcripts are the latest in a series of digital measures in India’s courts in the last few years, with virtual hearings and e-filing no doubt getting a boost from pandemic lockdowns. As CJI has observed, technology can make courts and records accessible to the general public, students, researchers and archivists. He’s credited with starting the digitisation of the Bombay high court library, with its 1.25 lakh books and records, which date back to the 1800s. Other HCs have done their bit. In 2021 Orissa HC started a Record Room Digitisation Centre, the country’s first, and by mid-2022 it had reportedly digitised almost 5.2 lakh files. Only last month Delhi HC introduced software for online inspection of digitised judicial files, another first. And in a different kind of but equally important reform, Kerala HC recently published two judgments in a regional language, Malayalam. SC and HCs scaling up their digital infrastructure contributes to reducing their carbon footprint too. A sustainable and accessible court ecosystem is to everyone’s benefit. But bear in mind such a system is also vulnerable to breaches that can throw a workday into chaos. Recall the AIIMS ransomware episode. Therefore, while we applaud digitisation initiatives, we must also remind all courts that they pay equal attention to threats. For hackers, India’s digitised court records are a tempting target.

Justice.gov.in: SC’s and many HCs’ digitisation programmes are excellent initiatives. But beware of hackerspublic affairs, the Supreme Court introduced live-transcription of court proceedings on a screen and on Wednesday published the transcripts on its website. CJI Chandrachud, chair of SC’s e-committee, announced the measure as a constitution bench met to hear arguments in the case of Shiv Sena’s split. Live transcripts are the latest in a series of digital measures in India’s courts in the last few years, with virtual hearings and e-filing no doubt getting a boost from pandemic lockdowns.As CJI has observed, technology can make courts and records accessible to the general public, students, researchers and archivists. He’s credited with starting the digitisation of the Bombay high court library, with its 1.25 lakh books and records, which date back to the 1800s. Other HCs have done their bit. In 2021 Orissa HC started a Record Room Digitisation Centre, the country’s first, and by mid-2022 it had reportedly digitised almost 5.2 lakh files. Only last month Delhi HC introduced software for online inspection of digitised judicial files, another first. And in a different kind of but equally important reform, Kerala HC recently published two judgments in a regional language, Malayalam.SC and HCs scaling up their digital infrastructure contributes to reducing their carbon footprint too. A sustainable and accessible court ecosystem is to everyone’s benefit. But bear in mind such a system is also vulnerable to breaches that can throw a workday into chaos. Recall the AIIMS ransomware episode. Therefore, while we applaud digitisation initiatives, we must also remind all courts that they pay equal attention to threats. For hackers, India’s digitised court records are a tempting target.

HABIBA SHEKH

Times Of India News

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Justice.gov.in: SC’s and many HCs’ digitisation programmes are excellent initiatives. But beware of hackers