Government Strengthens Digital Justice and Legal Aid Infrastructure Across Odisha Under eCourts and Tele-Law Initiatives

Key Highlights:

• The government is strengthening digital justice and legal aid infrastructure across India, including Odisha, through various initiatives.
• The eCourts Mission Mode Project Phase III incurred an actual expenditure of ₹2514.81 crore from 2023-24 to 2025-26.
• National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) received ₹620.00 crore in funds during the same period.
• The Tele-Law Programme (under DISHA 2.0) has provided over 1.13 Crore pre-litigation advice to beneficiaries nationwide.
• In Odisha, 16 Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centres are functional, and 24 Gram Nyayalayas have been made operational.
• Odisha has 817 out of 845 courtrooms covered under the eCourts project and 332 Legal Aid Clinics functional across its districts.

Detailed Insights:

• The initiatives aim to enhance access to justice, particularly in tribal and aspirational districts, through digital literacy and legal aid.
• The eCourts Project implements digital services such as e-Filing, e-Pay, Virtual Courts, video conferencing, and the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG).
• Tele-Law services are delivered through Common Service Centres (CSCs), offering pre-litigation legal advice to citizens.
• NALSA extends free legal aid and promotes Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms like Lok Adalats and mediation for expeditious dispute resolution.
• Financial assistance for strengthening court infrastructure is provided under a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS).
• Odisha hosts one of the 31 virtual courts established across the country for online adjudication of traffic challans.

Key Concepts Involved:

• eCourts Mission Mode Project: A national project to computerize district and subordinate courts to improve justice delivery.
• Tele-Law Programme: Provides pre-litigation legal advice to citizens, especially in rural areas, through Common Service Centres (CSCs).
• National Legal Services Authority (NALSA): Constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, to provide free legal services to the weaker sections of society.
• Gram Nyayalaya Scheme: Aims to provide speedy and inexpensive justice to people in rural areas at their doorstep.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR): Methods like mediation, conciliation, arbitration, and Lok Adalats for resolving disputes outside traditional courts.
• Common Service Centres (CSCs): Access points for delivery of essential public utility services, social welfare schemes, healthcare, financial, education and agriculture services to citizens in rural and remote areas.
• National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG): An online platform providing data on cases pending in district and subordinate courts, High Courts, and the Supreme Court.
• Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS): Schemes implemented by state governments but largely funded by the central government, often with a defined sharing pattern.