Expediting Access to Justice in the Digital Age: Opportunities and Challenges for Pakistan
Keywords:
E-Justice, Access to Justice, E-Filing, Online Dispute Resolution, Use of Technology in The Justice SystemAbstract
Due to the huge pendency of cases and reliance on outdated judicial methods, access to justice has become more difficult in Pakistan. Technology has revolutionized every sector of society, and likewise, it has impacted the justice system worldwide by making it more efficient and transparent. This study aims to analyse how technology has influenced the justice system in other jurisdictions and the opportunities and challenges for Pakistan in its adoption. Using a qualitative and comparative approach, this study has analysed laws, judicial practices, policy frameworks, and case studies of countries worldwide, particularly the US, UK, India, and Israel, and has also found the implementation challenges locally. Findings such as digital courtroom, e-filing, Online dispute resolution, and case management systems due to technology integration in the judicial system have been specifically discussed. This study definitively answers the practical implications of these advancements, and further studies are needed to find a comprehensive implementation framework within Pakistan.
References
"The Use of e-Courts, e-Filing Systems, and Video Link Facilities Are to Be Encouraged to Reduce the Delays in Family Cases: Islamabad High Court Islamabad." Live Law PK. Accessed 17 February 2025. https://livelawpk.com/supreme-court-high-courts/the-use-of-ecourts-efiling-systems-and-video-link-facilities-are-to-be-encouraged-to-reduce-the-delays-in-family-cases-islamabad-high-court-islamabad.
Agarwal. 2001. "Lok Adalat for Speedy Justice." The Hindu, 18 December 2001. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/op/2001/12/18/stories/2001121800060100.htm.
Asian Development Bank. The Role of Public Administration in Building a Harmonious Society. Manila: Asian Development Bank, 2006
Bandial, S. 2018. "Delayed Justice." The Express Tribune, 15 February 2018. https://tribune.com.pk/story/1635971/delayed-justice-3.
Bandial, S. 2018. "Delayed Justice." The Express Tribune. Accessed 15 February 2023. https://tribune.com.pk/story/1635971/delayed-justice-3.
Brinkema, John, and J. Michael Greenwood. 2015. "E-Filing Case Management Services in the US Federal Courts: The Next Generation: A Case Study." International Journal for Court Administration 7 (1): 3. ISSN 2156-7964. http://www.iacajournal.org.
Burger, W. Address to ABA Midyear Meeting (24 January 1982). Reprinted in ABA Journal 68 (1982): 274–76.
Burstein, Shalom. 2007. Interview with Shalom Burstein, Court Administration Office, 15 February. Notes on file with author.
Contini, F., et al. 2007. Information System and Information Infrastructure Deployment: The Challenge of the Italian E-Justice Approach. Draft.
E. C. Wiggins, "The Courtroom of the Future Is Here: Introduction to Emerging Technologies in the Legal System," Law and Policy in International Business 28 (2006): 117.
European Union, European Commission. Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the Functioning of the European Online Dispute Resolution Platform Established under Regulation (EU) No 524/2013 on Online Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes, COM(2017) 744 Final, 13 December 2017. Accessed 20 February 2025. https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/first_report_on_the_functioning_of_the_odr_platform.pdf.
Galanter, Marc, and Jayanth K. Krishnan. 2004. "Bread for the Poor: Access to Justice and the Rights of the Needy in India." Hastings Law Journal 55: 789.
H. B. Dixon, "The Evolution of a High Technology Courtroom," in Future Trends in State Courts (Virginia: National Center for State Courts, 2011); B. Schiffner, "Lights, Camera, Action: AV Technology is Changing the Landscape of the Courtroom," Courts Today 9 (2012): 16.
High Court of Delhi. 2021. Video Conferencing Rules. http://delhihighcourt.nic.in/writereaddata/upload/Notification/NotificationFile_ULDC4UVQWZ9.PDF.
HiiL. "Rechtwijzer 2.0: Technology That Puts Justice in Your Hands." Accessed 17 February 2025. http://www.hiil.org/project/rechtwijzer.
Horan, J., and S. Maine. 2013. "Criminal Jury Trials in 2030: A Law Odyssey." Journal of Law and Society 41: 551.
James, E. Guidebook for Electronic Court Filing. USA: National Centre for State Courts, 1998
Junaidi, Ikram. 2024. "'Over Half of Pakistan Does Not Have Access to the Internet.'" Dawn, 24 April 2024.
K. Kujanen, E-Services in the Courts in Finland, presentation at the Seminar on Law and Informatics, Bern, 26 October 2004, 4. See also "E-Services in the Finnish Courts," accessed 18 February 2025, http://www.oikeus.fi/15955.htm and http://www.oikeus.fi/15956.htm.
Kestner, Ronald, Daniel McGillis, and Jane Ray. Concept Paper Submitted to the American Bar Association. March 1983.
Lawyerist. "Online Dispute Resolution & Public Interest Design, with Shannon Salter." Lawyerist.com, 31 January 2018. https://legaltalknetwork.com/podcasts/lawyerist-podcast/2018/01/157-online-dispute-resolution-public-interest-design/.
M. Velicogna, "Justice Systems and ICT: What Can Be Learned from Europe?" Utrecht Law Review 3 (2007): 129; G. Lupo and J. Bailey, "Designing and Implementing e-Justice Systems: Some Lessons Learned from EU and Canadian Examples," Laws 3 (2014): 353.
McMillan, J. E. 1995. Case Management Systems: The Four Bubbles. http://www.ncsconline.org/WC/Publications/KIS_CasSysCTB1995McMillanPub.pdf.
McMillan, J. E. Case Management Systems: The Four Bubbles. 1995. http://www.ncsconline.org/WC/Publications/KIS_CasSysCTB1995McMillanPub.pdf.
NSW Government. 2018. Budget Estimates 2018-19. Budget Paper No. 3, 30 June 2018. https://www.budget.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/budget-2018-06/6._Justice_Cluster-BP3-.
O'Connor, Sandra Day. Address at "Consumer Dispute Resolution Conference, Exploring the Alternatives." 21 January 1983. Co-sponsored by the American Bar Association Special Committee on Dispute Resolution and the White House United States Office of Consumer Affairs.
Rabinovich-Einy, Orna. "Beyond Efficiency: The Transformation of Courts Through Technology." Law, Technology & Innovation Journal 12, no. 1 (Spring 2008). Accessed 17 February 2025. www.lawtechjournal.com.
Rana, S. S. 2021. "Delhi High Court Releases Video Conferencing Rules 2021." Lexology, 26 October 2021. https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=9eb5e51e-67e8-4f82-9812-0b4931b5ce0c.
Ray, Larry, and Anne L. Claret. "The Multi-Door Courthouse Idea: Building the Courthouse of the Future... Today." Journal on Dispute Resolution 1, no. 1 1985.
Raymond, Anjanette H., and Scott J. Shackelford. "Technology, Ethics, and Access to Justice: Should an Algorithm Be Deciding Your Case?" Technology, Ethics, and Access to Justice 35 (Spring 2014): 485–494.
Simonson, Terry. 1984. Presentation by Terry Simonson, Director, Tulsa Multi-Door Courthouse Program, 7 November 1984.
Sze, T. Y. 2004. "Singapore." In IT Support of the Judiciary, edited by A. Oskamp et al., 48. Dordrecht: Springer.
The Newspaper's Staff Reporter. "July-Dec 2023 Statistics Show 2.26 Million Cases Pending in Courts: Report." Dawn, 16 February 2024. https://www.dawn.com/news/1814586
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. "On 1 January 1996, Legacy CM/ECF Service Began in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio (Cleveland)."
United Kingdom. 2006. Police and Justice Act 2006. c. 48. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/48/contents.
Velicogna, M., et al. 2006. "Legitimacy and Internet in the Judiciary: A Lesson from the Italian Courts' Websites Experience." International Journal of Law and Information Technology 14: 381.
World Justice Project. 2024. WJP Rule of Law Index 2024. World Justice Project. https://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index/global.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Muhammad Sarmad Raza
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
LEGALOPEDIA EDUCATINIA (PVT) LTD