Use of Technology in Access to Justice

Abstract

Access to justice is not only concerned with the way the judicial process functions but improving the way disputes are resolved. The process of availing justice showcases that it is time-consuming, unaffordable, unjustifiably combative and inexplicably steeped in opaque procedure and language. Promotion of access to justice includes factors2 of dispute containment, dispute avoidance and legal health promotion. A legal issue must be first recognised and be dealt with by selecting the appropriate service. Justice must reach the non-lawyers who are unaware that there is a situation where a legal problem must be resolved, contained and avoided. Access to justice must spread to use of technology in courts and the way society is involved in the process of administration of justice. Services such as selecting the appropriate service for the legal issue is very important as this determines the efficacy of the judicial process. United Kingdom provides citizens advice service this enables the citizens to handle some of the legal situations on their own when legal services are provided online similarly like that of other online services of the State. These online legal services can be provided in three forms – web-based services, commercial or NGO’s; subscription-based access or alternate business structures or legal publishers. The services which are provided can also be provided where citizens can compare the prices which will be available at competitive rates. Subsequently services can also be streamlined by providing guidance upon procedural and substantive issues. Along with services it is the need of the hour that judges start accepting e-filing, virtual courts, online dispute resolution, digital evidence, deposition of witness online for instance in Jammu and Kashmir where due to geographical limitations citizens might not be able to travel to reach the courts for testifying due to snow or landslides, whether it means they do not have access to justice? The paper critically analyses the role of the stakeholders in the administration of justice put together in providing access to justice to citizens through use of technology.