In a move that will help bring litigants closer to a shorter judicial process, the Pune District Court has implemented a SMS message service that informs lawyers and litigants about the dates of hearing and the progress of their cases. The Supreme Court and high courts already use such a system, but now a district court has adopted it.
The Supreme Court’s e-courts project that has been in the news recently had first suggested the use of SMS for helping lawyers and litigants track the progress of their cases. According to media reports, 1,500 court complexes across 648 districts in India have already implemented this service.
In order to avail this service, the relevant person has to register with the court administration which provides a code on the vakalatnama (the document in which the client authorizes the advocate to appear for him). The court administration then keeps sending out information relating to the case.
The Delhi High Court started the SMS message service in August 2015. The Estate Office of the Chandigarh Administration also has a SMS alert service for court cases related to building violations and misuse of properties.