Chief Justice inaugurates training program on Computer Skill Enhancement

Jammu, Apr 8: Chief Justice, High Court of J&K and Ladakh (Patron-in-Chief, J&K Judicial Academy), Justice Tashi Rabstan, Tuesday inaugurated one day training programme on Computer Skill Enhancement “Level I & II’ (ECT_7_2024 & ECT_12_2024) for Advocates of Jammu district at J&K Judicial Academy, Janipur.
The Chief Justice also released two significant compendiums, on the occasion, in presence of Justice Atul Sreedharan, Judge, High Court of Madhya Pradesh, Justice Sindhu Sharma, Judge, High Court of J&K and Ladakh (Chairperson, Governing Committee for J&K Judicial Academy).
The training programme was organized in collaboration with eCommittee, Supreme Court of India.
Shahzad Azeem, Registrar General, High Court of J&K and Ladakh; M.K. Sharma, Principal Secretary to Chief Justice, High Court of J&K and Ladakh; Rajeev Gupta, Registrar Vigilance; Sandeep Kour, Registrar Judicial; Shazia Tabasum, Member Secretary, J&K Legal Service Authority; Anoop Sharma, Registrar Computer (IT), High Court of J&K and Ladakh; Fayaz Ahmed Qureshi, CPC; Mayank Gupta, Joint Registrar Protocol and Jeevan Kumar, Secretary, High Court Legal Service Committee attended the inaugural session.
The inaugural session of the programme was also attended by Satinder Singh, Registrar Recruitment; K. Nirmal Kotwal, President, J&K High Court Bar Association, Jammu and his Executive Members besides Bhagirath, President, Young Lawyers Association, High Court of J&K and Ladakh.
On the occasion, Chief Justice officially released two compendiums ‘Breaking Barriers: Landmark and Recent Judgments Shaping the POCSO Act’; and ‘Redefining Justice: Landmark and Recent Judgments Shaping the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act 2015’. These publications shall serve as invaluable resources, encapsulating key judicial pronouncements that have shaped and strengthened the child protection laws in our country.
In his inaugural address, Justice Tashi Rabstan emphasised that the intersection of law and technology is no longer a concept of the future but it is our reality today. He stated that rapid digitization of court processes, development of e-Courts services and integration of information technology into legal practice are reshaping the way justice is accessed, understood and delivered.
He highlighted that the strength of any justice delivery system lies in the synergy between the Bench and the Bar. As courts move towards e-filing, virtual hearings, digital display boards and online case management systems, the Bar must be equally skilled and confident in engaging with these systems, he added.
Justice Sindhu Sharma, Judge, High Court of J&K and Ladakh, in her welcome address, underscored that the initiatives under the e-Courts Project are not merely policy documents, but a vision to bring judicial services to the fingertips of citizens. She emphasized that this training ensures no advocate is left behind in the process. She further added that it is our collective responsibility to ensure that technological progress does not create a divide, but rather unites the system in a shared pursuit of excellence. She also appreciated the efforts of the J&K Judicial Academy for releasing two significant compendiums.
The first technical session was chaired by Justice Atul Sreedharan, Judge, High Court of Madhya Pradesh, who shared valuable insights from his experience as a judge, emphasizing the evolving role of technology in the judicial process. He highlighted how modern judges are increasingly integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and digital platforms in their workflow, particularly in drafting and delivering judgments.
Justice Shreedharan explained the practical use of Microsoft Word for typing judgments, focusing on its advanced features like templates, formatting tools and auto-citation management, which significantly enhance the efficiency and precision. He further illustrated how online legal research portals, AI-driven case law databases and dictation software are transforming the traditional style of judgment writing. Moreover, he underscored the importance of adapting to technology to meet the growing demands of judicial work.
Anoop Sharma, Registrar Computer (IT), High Court of J&K and Ladakh, along with his team conducted the second technical session. They delved upon the eCourt Services/Initiatives useful for day to day working of Advocates, eCourt Services Portal, eCourt Services App, Display Boards for HC & DC, e-filling etc. The learned resource persons underscored that e-filing enables the electronic submission of court documents, thereby saving both time and paper.
The session concluded with an interactive Q&A segment, where the participants discussed eCourt Services and other related modules.
Sonia Gupta, Director of the J&K Judicial Academy, conducted the proceedings of the inaugural session and efficiently coordinated all the technical sessions throughout the day.
All the sessions remained very interactive during which all the participants actively participated and shared their experiences, difficulties and also discussed various aspects of the subject topics. They also raised a number of queries which were answered satisfactorily by the resource persons.