Kollam gets India’s first digital court for cheque bounce cases

India first digital court specifically designed to handle cheque  bounce cases – 24*7 ON Courts – was inaugurated on Friday in Kerala’s Kollam city By Supreme Court judge, Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai.

The initiative marks a significant shift towards virtual judicial processes, covering all aspects from case filing to hearings and judgments. If successful, the ON Courts model could be rolled out across Kerala, setting a precedent for the rest of the country.

The initiative (On Courts) has taken the entire life cycle of a case and automated it. Roughly, cheque bouncing cases are 10 per cent of total cases. Hence, automation means that productivity goes up, and pendency goes down.

There will be smart scheduling system so that the hearing will be held on time. It will offer support and guidance to litigants to inform them of their case status in real time. The court will be linked with important institutions, such as banks and police, which will make the exchange of information a breeze.

We-Solv Virtual Solution Maker, an online dispute resolution system, developed by the Kerala judiciary, was also launched by Justice Gavai. The platform has been designed to facilitate online deliberations among stakeholders, streamline the dispute resolution process, and enhance efficiency, accessibility and transparency in dispute resolution.