Gandhinagar (Gujarat): Gujarat has become the first state to telecast live court proceedings on YouTube, said an official release on Saturday.
According to an official release, virtual court, digital portal, and paperless e-filing approaches have also been adopted by the state judiciary.
"Various initiatives introduced today in Lokaparna and Khatamuhurta will speed up the justice system," said Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has prioritized digital infrastructure for transparent, efficient and good governance and that the Gujarat High Court has worked as an example in this field.
Patel and Supreme Court Justice Suryakant on Saturday launched various projects strengthening the infrastructure of the state judiciary at the Gujarat High Court.
Gujarat High Court Chief Justice Sunita Aggarwal and Law Minister Rishikesh Patel were also present on this occasion.
Chief Minister Patel said various projects worth 133 crore rupees have been launched and sealed today at the Gujarat High Court.
Chief Minister Patel said that the Gujarat High Court began at Akashvani Bhawan, Navrangpura when Gujarat became a separate state in 1960.
Since then, the state has progressed gradually with the latest facilities, said the Chief Minister adding that today the state-of-the-art facility of Gujarat High Court is functioning at Sola.
"The State Government has always endeavoured to provide state-of-the-art facilities to the judges and court staff including the construction of new buildings or houses associated with the Courts," he said.
Further, the Chief Minister said that we have worked in the direction of realizing the mission of infrastructure development of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by making the courts of the Principal Civil Judge functional in every taluka station of the state.
Stating the need for good governance and democracy, the Chief Minister said that in the development of any country or state and in good governance, law and order and judiciary have an important contribution. Judiciary, executive and legislature are the pillars of democracy and good governance.
"Proper coordination between these three keeps good governance and democracy moving.
Speedy justice is essential for people to have a direct experience of good governance. For this, the state government is committed to providing resources as per the requirement of the judiciary and high court," said the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister added that for this, the state government has made a financial allocation in the budget of the law department. In the year 2021-22, this allocation was Rs 1698 crore, which has been increased to Rs 2586 crore in 2024-25.
This shows the state government's commitment to increasing the efficiency of the judiciary, infrastructure development, digitalization and providing strong manpower.
The Chief Minister further said that the Prime Minister has prioritized digital infrastructure for transparent, efficient and good governance.
"The virtual court, digital portal, and paperless e-filing approaches have also been adopted by the state judiciary. Various initiatives introduced today in Lokaparna and Khatamuhurta will speed up the justice system," added CM Patel.
Supreme Court Judge Justice Suryakant said on this occasion that the judicial system plays an important role in the development of any nation and that a strong judiciary is one of the pillars of nation-building.
"A strong judicial infrastructure and proper use of technology are the most important needs of the judiciary in today's modern era. The Gujarat High Court is at the forefront in the implementation of both these matters," said CM Patel.
"The projects launched and completed today prove that the digitization of the Judiciary in Gujarat through the use of technology and infrastructure is happening at a very fast pace. The state government is also fully committed to fulfilling all the requirements of the High Court which is gratifying," he added.
Chief Justice of the High Court Sunita Agarwal said on the occasion that the availability of infrastructure makes the judicial process faster and easier.
"With the positive approach of the state government, the foundation stones of many new buildings and projects have been laid today. In the same way, the State Government has also provided quick and important support in providing health facilities for the employees of the Judiciary," she said.
Gujarat High Court Justice Biren Vaishnav in his speech while informing about the projects to be launched soon said that the state government and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will provide all necessary infrastructure and judicial infrastructure to strengthen the structure of the judiciary of the state.
On the occasion of the launch of various projects of Gujarat High Court, Gujarat High Court Judge Sarvashree Justice AY Kogje, Justice AS Supehia, Advocate General Kamal Trivedi, President of Gujarat High Court Advocate Association Brijesh Trivedi, former Chief Justices of High Courts of various states, Judges of Gujarat High Court, officers-officers, employees and members of Bar Council were present in large numbers. (ANI)