New Delhi

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court declined to review a public interest litigation (PIL) requesting the integration of various tribunals into the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG). Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, leading the bench with Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, noted that the current E-courts project does not have provisions to allocate funds for tribunals. The Court suggested that the petitioner explore other legal remedies or approach the government directly.

The NJDG portal, a key part of the e-Courts initiative, offers detailed data on case status, including those filed, pending, and resolved. Advocate K.C. Jain’s plea argued that, while the Supreme Court’s data is integrated into the NJDG, tribunals established under various laws are not included. Jain emphasized that integrating these tribunals into the NJDG would enhance transparency, accountability, and oversight in the justice system.

Last September, CJI Chandrachud announced that real-time case details for the Supreme Court would be accessible through the NJDG, providing instant access to statistical information on case filings, resolutions, and backlogs.