When the Hon'ble Minister Of Law And Justice, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, was asked regarding the pathetic conditions, in which our Indian courts functions for administering justice, such as lack of adequate facilities like toilets and drinking water especially for women, senior citizens and children on the court premises and even the bad state of courtrooms of our judges which requires immediate attention and does the Minister have plans to modernize our district courts?

Reply By Hon'ble Minister of Law And Justice, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad stated the following:
It is the primary responsibility of the State Governments to provide Judicial Infrastructure and Court Rooms in District and Subordinate Courts.

The Union Government has been administering a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for Development of Infrastructure Facilities for Judiciary in order to augment the resources of State Governments, in association with the States / UT Governments.

The scheme is being implemented since 1993-94. It covers the construction of court halls and court complexes and residential accommodations of judicial officers of District and Subordinate Judiciary. As on date, Rs. 6,986 crores have been sanctioned since the inception of the Scheme in 1993-94. Out of this, Rs. 3,542 crores (50.70%) have been sanctioned to the States and UTs since April, 2014.

19,179 court halls and 16,852 residential accommodations have been made available for Judicial Officers of Districtand Subordinate Courts under this scheme as on date against the working strength of 17,970 Judicial Officers in District and Subordinate Courts of the country.

In addition, 2,818 court halls and 1,856 residential units are under construction.

The Central Government has also been administering a Central Sector Scheme of eCourt Mission Mode Project (Phase-ll), (2015-19) under which funds are made available to various organizations involved in the implementation of the project and High Courts with the aim for information and Communication Technology (ICT) enablement of district and subordinate courts, across the country in association with eCommittee of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of lndia.

So far, out of total outlay of Rs.1,670 crore, the Government has sanctioned a ‘sum of Rs. 1,248 crore as on date to various organizations involved in the implementation of the project.

This includes a sum of Rs. 955.86 crore sanctioned to High Courts. Number of computerised District and Subordinate courts in the country, by the end of first phase of eCourts Project (2014) increased from 13,672 to 16,845 registering an increase of 3,173.

Minister Of Law And Justice,
(Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad)