As a CBI judge I have learnt State as a litigant is fully capable of tampering with Medico-Legal Case reports, postmortem reports, forensic reports: Jay Thareja, Central Project Coordinator, e-Courts Project, Delhi High Court

Jay Thareja, who has served as a judge of CBI special courts and is currently the Central Project Coordinator, the e-Courts Project at the Delhi High Court, observed: "....a lot of process re-engineering is coming from the legislature. As sir has rightly pointed out but we are now even looking at med and e forensics where the legislature and the executive now want us that the MLC should also be stored with them and as a judge doing a trial I should only get a hyperlink through which I go to that particular portal and access that MLC. So the question is do we want traditionally the document has been housed with us once the MLC comes on my file and it is with my helm or my court custodian I maintain the sanctity if it continues with them then yes you can probably involve blockchain technology but what it only guarantees as I have learned now that if there is a change I will get to know there's a change but the original document is most likely lost so we while doing our criminal trials and this criminal juris to students really need to think that whether these these videos made as per section 105 of BNSS, the MLC's the postmortem reports and the forensic reports are to be housed with us maybe as a copy or are to be still housed with the state which is a litigant before me and fully capable of as I have learned lively in my tenure as a as a CBI judge as well fully capable of tampering with them so this is my input on the subject now what happens. If there is electronic evidence and you store a copy as you say does it not become secondary evidence. I concur and I would genuinely believe that a lot of process re-engneering would apart from requiring change in rules will require change in statute. There's been a push towards cloud storage also but personally I may think of data storage on site with us but then there's been a great push for cloud storage. I know sir as as a CPC I have encountered documents of the government of India insisting that we should go towards cloud storage but I absolutely concur with you I have always been susceptible about keeping things with the executive on the other side I want control with myself and that's the view which my chairperson at the Delhi high court also shares." MLC refers to Medico-Legal Case. These observations imply that UID/Aadhaar electronic database too can be tampered with.

                                                                        Prior to that Thareja said, "....if a high court truly has to achieve process re-engineering, there has to be some synergy between the rules committee and the IT committee. And one way I would suggest of achieving that is there should be identity of members. At least two or three members in both the committees should be the same that results in very quick transmission of ideas and plans. The other suggestion or idea I have is that the registister rules of the high court should ideally be someone who's previously been CPC. I am not pitching a case for my elevation to that position but or somebody who has been a master trainer of the E committee because that again makes this process of alignment very easy between those two committees. The next thing which I have to say I agree with Justice Bishnoi  process realignment re-engineering the precondition is e filing or digitization at your level apart from that I genuinely believe that every high court needs a data center that is the center point at which you are supposed to house everything and if today Madhya Pradesh is succeeding as it is succeeding it's because of that excellent data center that they have so that is a precondition that is where every data of the high court or the district court should be brought in and Then we have to see how the processes can be aligned around that data."  

                                                                   Thareja was a  discussant for Session on Rule, Process Alignment, and Re-engineering. He was spoke on May 1, 2026 during the National Conclave on Technology and Judicial Education organised by the High Court of Sikkim in collaboration with the eCommittee, Supreme Court of India during May 1-2, 2026 in Gangtok. The panel included Justice Atul Sreedharan, Judge, Allahabad High Court, Justice Ravindra Maithani, Judge, Uttarakhand High Court and Justice Sanjeev S. Kalgaonkar, Judge, Madhya Pradesh High Court. The discussion was moderated by Justice Anjani Mishra, former Judge Vice Chairman, e-Committee, Supreme Court of India. It is noteworthy that no academician who deal with technology and law was included as a speaker as part of the conclave.

                                                                    Professor (Dr.) S. Sivakumar, President, Commonwealth Legal Education Association remarked that the deliberations had gone beyond mere digitisation and focused on broader institutional transformation, where technology is used to improve access, efficiency, and transparency in a meaningful way. He stated that discussions on e-filing emphasised not just technical implementation but also usability, inclusiveness, and trust. The focus was on re-engineering judicial processes to simplify procedures and enhance institutional clarity. He observed that tools such as blockchain could strengthen the security and integrity of judicial records, while artificial intelligence offered opportunities to support research, organisation, and case management. He stressed that there must be a balanced approach, where technology assists judicial functions without replacing human judgment, which remains central to the delivery of justice. He also underscored the importance of judicial education in adapting to these changes, noting that learning systems must evolve to integrate legal knowledge with technological understanding. He stressed that collaboration across jurisdictions, particularly within the Commonwealth, would play a key role in strengthening capacity and sharing best practices. Highlighting concerns around the digital divide, he cautioned that unequal access to technology could lead to unequal access to justice, and stressed the need for inclusive systems. He stated that the true measure of technological advancement in the judiciary lay not only in efficiency, but in ensuring fairness, protecting rights, and strengthening the justice delivery system, and called for a continued commitment to innovation, collaboration, and ethical governance. 

Justice Bhaskar Raj Pradhan, Judge, High Court of Sikkim mphasised that the changing nature of the justice delivery system, he stated that technology was no longer merely an administrative tool but an integral part of judicial infrastructure. He added that the discussions reflected a growing recognition within the judiciary that delays often stem from systemic inefficiencies, which must be addressed through timely and thoughtful reforms. He also observed that the judiciary was entering a new phase of transformation, focused on redesigning institutions to make them more responsive and efficient. He emphasised that such progress must be guided by constitutional values and human sensitivity to ensure that justice remains fair and accessible. 

In his address, Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque, Chief Justice of the High Court of Sikkimh spoke on the collaborative nature of the conclave. Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai, Judge, Sikkim High Court also shared her refelctions. The conclave concluded with a note of gratitude delivered by Sonam Denka Wangdi, Central Project Coordinator, High Court of Sikkim. The welcome address was delivered by Tashi Rapten Barfungpa, President, Bar Association of Sikkim (High Court and Subordinate Courts).  In his valedictory address, Om Prakash Mathur, the Governor of Sikkim underscored the urgent need to integrate technology with legal education and judicial processes, while ensuring inclusivity and accessibility, during the concluding session of a two-day conference on Judicial and Technological Education. Referring to innovations such as e-processes, paperless courts, digital records, e-filing, hybrid court models, and live streaming of proceedings, the Governor said these initiatives are redefining judicial administration across the country. Sikkim has begun the transition towards becoming India’s first fully paperless judiciary, in line with the broader vision of Digital India. The Governor spoke about the expanding role of Artificial Intelligence and digital management systems, describing them as essential to equipping judicial institutions to address complex legal challenges, particularly in the evolving cyber landscape. He called for a balanced approach to ensure that technological advancement does not compromise accessibility. He advocated for greater use of local languages in judicial proceedings, supported by translators and modern applications, to make the system more citizen-friendly. He also cautioned against the misuse of publicly accessible court proceedings on social media platforms, urging the need for safeguards and stricter legal provisions to counter misinformation and propaganda related to judicial decisions.