The Supreme Court has taken another significant step towards widening access to justice in geographically remote and digitally underserved parts of the country with the launch of Mobile eSewa Vans, designed to take essential judicial and legal services closer to citizens.
Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant, who is the Patron-in-Chief of the eCommittee of the Supreme Court, flagged off 26 Mobile eSewa Vans on September 4 from the Supreme Court premises in New Delhi. The initiative has been undertaken jointly by the eCommittee, Supreme Court of India, the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and the Department of Justice, Government of India.
The 26 vans constitute the first tranche of a larger fleet of 73 Mobile eSewa Vans that will subsequently be deployed across designated High Court and District Court jurisdictions in different parts of the country.
The initiative is envisaged as an extension of the eCourts Project and seeks to address one of the persistent impediments to access to justice the physical and digital distance separating citizens in remote areas from judicial institutions.
The Mobile eSewa Vans have been conceptualised to function as mobile extensions of the justice delivery infrastructure. They are intended to reach villages, tribal belts and other far-flung locations where citizens may face difficulties in travelling to courts or accessing digital judicial services.
The vans will facilitate a range of citizen-centric services, including access to case-status information, orders and judgments, digital filing of pleadings and applications, and electronic payment facilities. They will also support legal awareness initiatives in regional languages.
Another important component is the provision of legal aid and alternative dispute resolution services. The vans are equipped to host Mobile Lok Adalats and facilitate pre-litigation settlements, including resolution of certain motor vehicle challans and utility-related disputes.
The initiative therefore seeks not merely to digitise court services, but to create a more accessible interface between citizens and the justice system.
The vans have been equipped with high-speed multi-network connectivity, including 4G/5G-enabled systems, along with high-definition video-conferencing infrastructure.
During the flag-off ceremony, CJI Surya Kant inspected the technological facilities inside a Mobile eSewa Van and participated in a live interaction with a High Court and a District Court through its onboard video-conferencing system. The demonstration showcased the possibility of conducting remote judicial proceedings, virtual hearings and witness depositions from the field.
The mobile units also contain audio-visual equipment, large-format displays, webcams, intercom and public-address systems. Power backup arrangements, including batteries, inverters and generators, have been incorporated to ensure operational continuity in areas where electricity supply may be unreliable. CCTV surveillance has also been provided as part of the infrastructure.
The Mobile eSewa Van project is aimed at strengthening the constitutional objective of access to justice by reducing technological, geographical and infrastructural barriers.
For citizens in remote regions, access to justice can often involve substantial travel, procedural unfamiliarity and dependence on intermediaries for basic information. By taking eCourts facilities and legal assistance directly to underserved communities, the initiative seeks to reduce these barriers and make judicial services more inclusive.
The project also reflects the judiciary’s broader emphasis on technology-led judicial transformation. The eCourts Project has increasingly focused on using digital infrastructure to improve transparency, efficiency and citizen access while re-engineering conventional judicial processes.
With 73 Mobile eSewa Vans planned for deployment, the initiative could potentially expand the footprint of technology-enabled justice well beyond conventional court complexes. Its larger significance lies in moving from a court-centric model of digitalisation towards a citizen-centric approach, where access to legal information, assistance and dispute resolution is taken directly to communities that remain beyond the easy reach of formal judicial infrastructure.
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