Schools, madaris will lag behind without using latest tech: CJP

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Asif Saeed Khosa Thursday said the judicial system was stepping forward with the help of modern technology.

Speaking to a ceremony after inaugurating the Supreme Court’s website and Research Centre here, he said no institution, including schools and madrassas, could move forward without using technology.

“We have introduced the latest technology in the judicial system,” he said, adding that the research centre had also been established after e-court, while artificial intelligence was also being introduced.

Talking about technological innovation, Justice Khosa said his daughter took a computer class in first grade in 1991. “I was astonished when my daughter told me that she had learnt about the use of computer in her school when she was in first grade,” the CJP said.

He also distributed shields among the staff of Nadra and Supreme Court. Earlier, Justice Khosa inaugurated litigant-friendly initiatives towards transformation of the Supreme Court through the Information Communication Technology (ICT), launch of e-Court Video Links System and a New Website of the Apex Court and use of modern technology in the speedy completion of cases, to enable effective decision making and to provide convenience to the litigants.

To make ease of litigation a reality, the chief justice envisioned the Information Communication Technology (ICT). As such, a Supreme Court IT Committee under the supervision of Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah has collaborated with the Nadra to establish a live video link between the principal seat and its four branch registries. It is already paying dividends by making it cost-effective for lawyers and litigants to participate in case proceedings via their nearest registry instead of having to travel to Islamabad. The Nadra has further helped the Supreme Court in launching a new website for the Apex court. Furthermore, the honorable judges can hear court proceedings from the principal seat for any branch registry. To date, a total of 138 cases have been heard using the video-link in a short span of 5 weeks from all 4 registries. Recently, the New Judicial Year event was also broadcast live to all 4 registries simultaneously using this system.

The new dynamic website has been built from the ground-up with the end-users in mind, i.e., the honorable judges, advocates, and most importantly the litigants. The primary goal is to guarantee the Ease of Litigation as per the vision of the chief justice.

Modern website features and tools have been introduced such as an Online Case Search with the provision of complete history of any case of the Court. The Supreme Court and Nadra have agreed to continue collaboration for future technology interventions as per the vision of the chief justice.