Mumbai lawyers report e-filing system issues to Chief Justice

Lawyers working in Family Court in Bandra, Mumbai, are facing serious issues with the e-filing system. Over 100 advocates have sent a letter to the chief justice of the Bombay high court to highlight the problems they encounter with this online process. The e-filing system aims to make court procedures easier and faster. However, the lawyers report frequent server outages and website problems. They also face issues when litigants need to take oaths online. These challenges lead to delays in court proceedings. Advocate Shraddha Dalvi, one of the lawyers, said that the situation has worsened recently. She noted that it often takes a long time for uploaded documents to appear on the court's online portal. Many lawyers end up submitting paper copies because the system is unreliable. The e-filing system was introduced in September 2023 as part of a government initiative to digitize lower court processes in Maharashtra. Each user is supposed to get a unique ID and password for submitting documents online. But advocates report that the website is often down, sometimes for several days each month. Advocate Tara Hegde explained that documents filed from home sometimes take days to show up. Additionally, issues with oath recordings slow the process for clients, forcing them to repeat steps unnecessarily. Advocate Ravi Jadhav criticized the lack of proper server support and connectivity, despite significant government investment in the system. Advocate Shraddha Vavhal, who trains others on how to use the e-filing system, believes it has potential but is not functioning well. She called for clearer guidelines and better technical support from the government.