SC introduces data bank

As part of the digitalisation of the Supreme Court, the court authorities have introduced a data bank, which preserves judgements, orders, cause lists and other relevant information to facilitate litigants' access to case information.
Now information about both the Appellate and High Court divisions, including their judgements and orders, is not removed or destroyed, as it was done earlier, and anybody can see those on the SC website anytime.
The apex court's data centre is also preserving some information about Dhaka judges' courts, including their cause lists (records containing details of cases), and it will expand its network to other district courts in phases, SC official SM Kuddus Zaman told The Daily Star.
The SC also has introduced short message service (SMS) to help litigants access case information on their mobile phones.
“Anyone can know the recent status of a case simply by sending an SMS,” said Kazi Parvez Anwar, a system analyst of the SC.
To do that, one has to type SCnature of the case (criminal or civil)case numberyear of its filing and send it to 2233.
In another move, the apex court authorities have set up five digital display screens on the SC premises, which show information about the cases heard and disposed of at the two divisions every day and status of other cases.
The display screens have been set up in front of the Appellate Division, High Court Division, Supreme Court Bar Association, and the attorney general's office on test basis.
Kuddus Zaman said the outcome of a day's hearing was uploaded on the website (www.supremecourt.gov.bd) within hours after the court order. It is helping litigants decide immediately their next course of action, he added.
The SC's own information communication technology (ICT) staffers have developed the system with government's fund, he said.
SC Registrar AKM Shamsul Islam said the SC had embarked on the digitalisation process in order to make the justice delivery system more affordable, accessible, cost effective, transparent and accountable.
The effort will be fruitful when the people will be aware of the system, he added.
Officials said the apex court started updating its website with the details of the cases heard and adjudicated in October 2010.
Eminent jurist Shahdeen Malik described the digitalisation of the judiciary as a positive step. “I hope that the authorities will be able to maintain, sustain, expand and upgrade these digital facilities,” he told The Daily Star.
“Both the litigants and litigators will find these facilities helpful, as these make access to justice easier,” he said.
Around 18 lakh cases now remain pending with lower courts across the country, while over 14,000 cases await adjudication at the Appellate Division, and 2.82 lakh others at the High Court.