Apex Court introduces e-hearings, e-filing and SOPs for uninterrupted, faster and more transparent justice delivery
ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it had set a new benchmark in the delivery of digital justice and reaffirmed its commitment to a people-friendly, transparent and technology-driven justice system.
In an official statement, the court said hearings were successfully conducted across the country using modern technology, enabling smooth trial even under challenging circumstances.
A bench in Islamabad conducted proceedings while lawyers appeared online from Quetta, Karachi and Hyderabad. Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi attended from Islamabad while Justice Ayesha Malik joined the bench remotely from Lahore.
The court noted that the proceedings continued without interruption, including in emergency situations. The full list of cases was heard by the Islamabad bench, with litigants and lawyers joining virtually from multiple cities.
Traditional paper-based records have largely been replaced with complete digital case files, significantly reducing the need to requisition documents from branch records.
Read also: SC implements new SOPs for uninterrupted judicial work during unexpected holidays
The Supreme Court said several important reforms have been operationalized including case bar coding, e-filing and e-office systems. Electronic transmission of court orders has enabled immediate delivery of decisions.
It added that video-link hearings have helped bridge geographical distances, lower legal costs and widen access to justice.
Separately, the court said it had on Tuesday introduced new standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure uninterrupted judicial work during unexpectedly announced holidays.
Issued by CJ Afridi, the SOPs aim to enhance the efficiency and continuity of court operations. Under the new framework, urgent civil and criminal cases will be prioritized, including family cases, bail applications, criminal reviews, cases involving prisoners over the age of 80, reinstatement applications, settlement cases and cases involving short legal issues.
The statement added that measures have also been put in place to address the backlog of cases, with at least 40% of the cases in each final cause list consisting of the oldest pending cases up to 2018.
Special relief has been provided for lawyers from Sindh and Balochistan, with their cases scheduled for later this week to accommodate travel and logistical constraints.
The court further said it plans to introduce an automated case fixation system to increase transparency and objectivity while minimizing discretionary delays through algorithm-based prioritization.
The system will include weekly and proposed monthly cause lists aimed at improving predictability and overall case flow management.
