Virtual Court is aimed at eliminating the physical presence of litigant or lawyer in the court and for adjudication of cases on a virtual platform. This concept has been evolved in order to efficiently utilize court resources and to provide the litigants with an effective avenue to settle petty disputes while adhering to all the judicial processes. Virtual Court can be administered by a Judge over a virtual electronic platform whose jurisdiction may extend to the entire State and function 24x7. Neither litigant nor Judge would have to physically visit a court for effective adjudication and resolution. Communication would only be in electronic form and sentencing / payment of fine or compensation would also be accomplished online. These courts may be used for disposal of cases where there may be proactive admission of guilt by the accused or proactive compliance by the defendant on receipt of the summons and electronic form as in the cases of traffic violations. Such matters are generally treated as disposed of after the payment of the due fine etc. Establishment of Virtual Courts is an administrative matter which falls within the purview and domain of the judiciary and respective State Governments. As on 30.10.2024, 27 Virtual Courts in 21 States / UTs viz. Delhi (2), Haryana, Chandigarh, Gujarat (2), Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala (2), Maharashtra (2), Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir (2), Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand (2), Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Manipur (2), have been operationalized to handle traffic challan cases. More than 6crore cases have been handled by these virtual courts and online fine of more than Rs. 649.81 crore has been realized till 30.10.2024.At present, there is no Virtual Court functioning in the state of Jharkhand.

Under phase-III of the eCourts Project, there is a component for establishment and expansion of scope of Virtual Courts beyond traffic challan cases at an amount of Rs. 413.08 crore.

This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Law & Justice, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

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