Sikkim has become the country’s first 'paperless' state judiciary

The Chief Justice of India has declared Sikkim as the country’s first 'paperless' (paperless) state judiciary.

A fully paperless judiciary is a system in which all legal processes are carried out electronically instead of on paper.

This includes the use of digital files, e-filing, online hearings, and digital case tracking.

Such digital transformation in courts is being carried out under the e-Courts Mission Mode Project.

Sikkim Governor Om Prakash Mathur said on 2 May, 2026 that Sikkim’s transition towards becoming the country’s first fully paperless judiciary is a historic step towards realizing the vision of 'Digital India'.

He stated that the adoption of e-filing systems and digital record management will not only speed up judicial processes but also make the system more transparent, efficient, and accessible for citizens.

e-Courts Mission Mode Project

A nationwide initiative being implemented across India to computerize and digitize the judiciary in order to provide efficient and accessible justice services.

It was launched in 2007 under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP). The Department of Justice is the nodal agency under the guidance of the e-Committee of the Supreme Court of India.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved Phase III of the e-Courts Project as a Central Sector Scheme (from 2023 onwards) with a financial outlay of ₹7210 crore. Phase II of the project was completed in 2023.

National Judicial Data Grid: A data repository of orders, judgments, and case details of district and subordinate courts, developed as an online platform under the e-Courts Project.

Various initiatives under the e-Courts Mission

Under the Wide Area Network (WAN) project, 99.5% of court complexes across India have been connected with bandwidth speeds ranging from 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps.

A dedicated Case Information Software (CIS) based on Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) has been developed. Currently, CIS National Core Version 3.2 is being implemented in district courts, while Version 1.0 has been introduced in High Courts.

Additionally, Electronic Case Management Tools (ECMT) have been developed, including a mobile app for lawyers (which had been downloaded 26.9 million times as of 31 October, 2024) and the JustIS app for judges (downloaded 20,719 times by the same date).

Video conferencing facilities have been enabled between 3,240 court complexes and 1,272 prisons across the country.

Live streaming of court proceedings has also been started in several High Courts, including Gujarat, Guwahati, Odisha, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Patna, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Calcutta, and the Supreme Court of India, allowing media and other interested individuals to access proceedings.