First Digital Court for Cheque Bounce Cases

Source- This post on First Digital Court for Cheque Bounce Cases has been created based on the article “Kerala’s Kollam gets India’s first digital court for cheque bounce cases” published in “Business Standard” on 17 August 2024.

Why in News?

Recently, Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai of the Supreme Court inaugurated India’s first digital court for handling cheque bounce cases, named 24*7 ONCOURTS in Kollam.

About the first Digital Court:

1. India’s first digital court, 24*7 ONCOURTS is dedicated to handling cheque bounce cases. It was inaugurated in Kollam, Kerala.

Key Features of the Digital Court:

1. The court will operate entirely online, from case filing to delivering judgments and orders.

2. The initiative aims to boost efficiency and reduce the backlog of cases. If successful, similar digital courts may be established across Kerala.

Impact on Case Handling:

1. The digital court automates the entire case life cycle, starting with cheque bounce cases, which account for about 10% of total cases.

2. Automation is expected to improve productivity and reduce the number of pending cases.

3. The ONCOURT project will begin accepting cheque dishonour cases from September 2024.

4. Extending similar automation to Motor Vehicles Act cases, which also make up around 10% of cases, could further enhance judicial efficiency.

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