Kerala's Kalpetta Becomes India's First Fully Paperless Judicial District

Under the new system, all courts in the district judiciary will operate entirely in digital mode, from the filing of cases to the delivery of final judgments.

Every stage of the judicial process-including pre-trial proceedings, recording of evidence, interlocutory applications and final adjudication-will now be conducted electronically.

The system also integrates Artificial Intelligence-based judicial assistance tools that generate structured case summaries from digital records, helping judges quickly grasp the factual and procedural background of cases.

Interactive question-and-answer features allow judicial officers to query case-specific details, while digital annotation tools enable judges to record notes and highlight relevant legal provisions directly on electronic files.

Voice-to-text technology has been introduced to ensure accurate transcription of witness depositions and judicial dictation.

Judicial orders and judgments are authenticated through secure digital signatures, ensuring their legal validity, integrity and authenticity.

The entire system has been developed in-house by the Kerala High Court. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said launching the project in Wayanad, an ecologically sensitive region of the Western Ghats, reflected a commitment to "green jurisprudence."

He also said the move would democratise access to justice by removing dependence on physical records and enabling real-time access to court documents for all stakeholders, regardless of location.

Supreme Court E-Committee chairperson Justice Vikram Nath described the Kalpetta model as a scalable and replicable framework for district courts across India.

Kerala High Court Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar highlighted benefits such as reduced costs, faster case processing and fewer clerical delays for litigants and lawyers.

Justice A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar said in-house development of AI tools had addressed concerns over unreliable data, while Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V noted that the transition was achieved through close consultation with all stakeholders.

Representatives of the Bar assured continued cooperation to expand digitisation across the State.

- IANS