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Judgment
Manmohan, J
The present Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed seeking directions to the Respondents with respect to the pendency of complaints filed under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 (‘Act of 1881’) and for framing of appropriate regulations with regard to (i) proper connectivity of Judicial Officer with Layers portal and (ii) for shorter dates in complaints listed at the stage of ‘consideration’ in Digital Courts, North District, Delhi.
It is stated in the petition that since only one Digital NI Act Court is designated in the North District, therefore, the pendency of the cases is abnormally high with more than 8000 matters pending. It is stated that the said Court is facing connectivity issues with the Layers portal and such network issues hamper the hearing of the matters listed before the Court. It is stated that due to the heavy pendency, the next date fixed in the matter is sometimes as long as ten (10) months. It is stated that for all these reasons the objective behind setting up a Digital NI Act Court for ensuring efficient disposal is not being achieved.
Notice in this matter was issued on 16th April, 2024 and directions were issued to the Respondents for recalibrating the pendency of the matters in the Digital Court, in the North District and for taking steps to address the issue of the digital connectivity with the Layers portal and network issues so as to address the concerns highlighted in the petition.
In response, the Registrar General has filed a report dated 09th May, 2024. It is stated therein that to rationalize the number of cases being heard by the existing Digital NI Court, another Digital Court has been created in the North District and the existing matters have been equally divided between the two Digital NI Act Courts.
4.1. In this report, it is further stated that to resolve the issue of connectivity of the Digital NI Court with the Layers portal and network issue, the Judicial Officer has been shifted from the camp office by providing her with a chamber in the Court complex. It is stated that with the aforesaid shifting, the network and connectivity issue has been effectively resolved. It is explained in the report that at the camp office, network issue was encountered on account of the VPN connection.
Learned counsel for the Petitioner states that he is aware of the aforesaid measures taken by the Respondents and submits that in view of the aforesaid steps taken, the prayers in this petition stand satisfied and prays for the disposal of the petition.
Accordingly, the present petition is disposed of as satisfied.