The Supreme Court on Friday has flagged off 73 Mobile E-Seva Kendra vehicles aimed at taking e-Court and legal-aid services to citizens in remote and underserved areas, seeking to bridge the digital and geographical divide in access to justice. The initiative, developed under the vision of the Supreme Court’s E-Committee, has been undertaken with an outlay of ?21.97 crore.

The Mobile E-Seva Kendras will extend services available through physical E-Seva Kendras to locations where permanent facilities are not available and to communities where citizens face difficulties travelling to courts. The initiative seeks to ensure that “justice must not remain confined within the walls of a courtroom” but reaches people at the grassroots.

The vehicles are equipped with video-conferencing facilities, air-conditioning, a 43-inch display screen, water dispensers and fire extinguishers, besides diesel generators for locations without regular electricity. The video-conferencing facility is expected to particularly assist witnesses and litigants who face difficulties travelling to court.

The Kendras will also function as information and facilitation points for NALSA, State Legal Services Authorities and District Legal Services Authorities, including for citizens seeking free legal aid.

The initiative is being implemented under the broader e-Courts project, with the E-Committee seeking to move beyond digitisation of existing court services and take technology-enabled access to justice directly to citizens.

Under the project, the Mobile E-Seva Kendras will be deployed across High Courts and Union Territories, taking judicial and legal services closer to people who may otherwise be unable to access permanent court-service facilities.