The NIC plan envisages a vast electronic network which will link city courts not only to some 500 district courts all over the country but also to the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Supreme Court.

Six terminals have already been installed, one each in the judges' chambers of the sessions courts and one in the copy branch. According to sources, Rs 2 lakh were sanctioned for installation. Seven more terminals will be procured for two additional sessions judges and five sub judges who are expected to join in the near future, informed UT District and Sessions Judge B. S. Bedi.

As the system becomes operational, information pertaining to various cases, fresh and old, will be available online. It's interesting to note that judgments passed over the last 20 years will also be available on a compact disc.

The NIC officer, in-charge of implemention plan, explains that computerisation will "provide all information at the press of a button. Connection with the Supreme Court and High Court through a network will help judges retrieve the latest judgments in a second. This will enhance efficiency."

The District Judge, who is himself monitoring the drive, said: "We will have a daily case-list fed. There will be information about cases, fresh and old, the last date of hearing and also the next, apart from the stage they are at. The staff have already been trained to operate the system."

From mid May the NIC staff have been training court personnel. A senior system analyst with NIC, Chandigarh, informed, "One employee from each of the 12 courts was trained for two hours daily at the UT Secretariat. Once the court resumes, judicial officers will also be trained for about a week." NIC also held demonstration for judicial officers here on June 14.

The NIC began work on the computerisation project last year on the direction of the Government of India. According to an NIC official, the courts were surveyed and a centrally-located room was selected where the computers could be installed. Later work estimates and other specifications were prepared and submitted to the District and Sessions Judge who got approval from the High Court.

"Once the nod came, work of site preparation started. The entire process took about an year because all civil and electrical work had to be done. A three-phase connection was laid, apart from cables from the computer centre to all the courts. After all this was completed, terminals were installed," he said.

As per Central Government's policy decision, all courts in the country will be connected through a network and they will all have a standardised software.