The Department of Science and Technology
has taken up a Project called “Integrated
Workflow and Document Management System”
by appointing M/S TATA Consultancy Services.
The IWDMS will link all the Departments
of the Secretariat and almost all the tasks
being carried out in the Departments are
computerized by developing about 63 different
Common Applications and Department Specific
Applications. When the Project becomes fully
functional, it will enable the Government
to move towards “less paper office”, if
not the “paper less office”. For the implementation
of the IWDMS Project in Legal Department,
79 computers, network printer and high-end
scanner for registry have been purchased
Electrification work for installation of
hardware at the desk of each employee of
the Department is also completed. Training
is provided to all employees/officers by
the Project Developer and very soon the
said project will be functional in the Legal
Department and the files would be processed
and sent electronically.
All the offices
have been provided with Computers and the
printers, for the purpose of computerization
of the Charity Organization. A Total Service
Provider was appointed.
For Network connection, all the offices of
the Charity Organization have been connected
through GSWAN and thus an interface has been
created between the Legal Department and the
Charity Organization.
Computerization
of Law Officers at the High Court and District
Courts
All the District
Government Pleaders have been provided with
computers, printers and the software developed
by the Total Service Provider. Training to
all to the law officers has been given. The
process for GSWAN connectivity to all offices
of the District Government Pleaders has been
undertaken with Department of Science and
Technology which will enable to have interface
between the Legal Department and the DGP offices
as well. In addition to this, GLHEL software
has also been provided to all these offices
to enable the Law Offices to have information
of the judgments of the Supreme Court and
the High Court.
Similarly, new
computers and printers have been provided to the
office of the Advocate General, High Court. Specific
modules have been developed and uploaded by the
Total Service Provider and the office has started
parallel first run of software. The said office
has also been provided with the GSWAN connectivity
to have interface with the Legal Department.
As a part of E-Governance drive,
the Government in Legal Department has tried
to maximize the usage of technology in the
judicial process at all levels and in all
areas. Our High Court is one of the most modern
court buildings in the country and is also
computerized to a great extent. The Judges
of the High Court have been provided with
the laptops and desktop computers along with
legal database for ready reference of judgments
of High Courts and the Apex Court. The High
Court has online filing facilities, generation
of advocates’ personal boards, generation
of orders and judgments on computers, display
boards displaying on going cases and other
relevant information.
The District Court
computerization programme is at present going
on, however, necessary hardware and software developed
by the NIC are provided for the official use to
the Judicial Officers of the District Courts and
the Fast Track Courts.
All undertrial prisoners who
are under judicial custody are required to
be produced before the Court at least once
in fifteen days. Large number of police escorting
personnel and vehicles are required for this
purpose and huge expenditure is incurred behind
the same. Cases of escape of prisoners from
police custody during transit and cases of
unauthorized facilities by the prisoners including
use of mobile phones etc. have been frequently
reported. To solve these problems, Video Conferencing
System was installed between Bhadra Court
Complex and Ahmedabad Central Prison with
effect from 1/1/04. State amendment in section
167(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure has
been carried out to empower the Jail authorities
to produce undertrial prisoners for remand
extension through Video Linkage over and above
the physical production before the courts.
Over and above this, in the second phase,
the System is installed at Vadodara Central
Prison, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Junagadh District
Jail and concerned court complexes as well
as at Bhuj, and Gheekanta Court complex at
Ahmedabad during the current year. The system
is also being installed at Surat, Nadiad and
Jamnagar District Jails. In the third phase,
the system would be installed at Porbandar
Special Prison and 11 Sub Jails.
In
addition to this, all the courts of the State
are also proposed to be linked under this system
with the High Court, District Courts and the Legal
Department.
