Parliament Question: Judicial Infrastructure and Digitisation in Mumbai

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4804 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 20TH MARCH, 2026 JUDICIAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND DIGITISATION IN MUMBAI 4804. PROF. VARSHA EKNATH GAIKWAD: SHRI SANJAY DINA PATIL: Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state: (a) the total funds disbursed to Mumbai under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for Judicial Infrastructure, specifically for the construction of lawyer chambers and digital facilities in the Taluka and Metropolitan Magistrate Courts, along with utilisation details; (b) whether the Government has a time-bound roadmap to achieve 100% digitalisation of land and property-dispute records in courts across Mumbai, in view of the long pendency of civil and property-related cases in the city, if so, the details thereof; (c) whether the Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono Legal Services) programme has adequate outreach in low-income, slum, and redevelopment-affected areas of Mumbai, and if so, the number of beneficiaries covered during the last two years; and (d) the number of Tele-Law centres operational through Common Service Centres (CSCs) in Mumbai, and the steps taken to expand access to affordable legal aid in densely populated urban areas? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL) (a) and (b): The primary responsibility for development of infrastructure facilities for District and Subordinate Courts rests with the State Governments/UTs. However, to augment the resources of States/UTs, Central Government has been implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for the Development of Infrastructure Facilities for Judiciary in the District and Subordinate Courts since 1993-94, by providing financial assistance in the prescribed fund sharing pattern between the Centre and States/UTs. The Scheme covers five components, namely, Court Halls, Residential Units for Judicial Officers, Lawyers’ Halls, Toilet Complexes and Digital Computer Rooms. A total amount of Rs.1,127.89 Crores has been released to the State of Maharashtra since inception of the scheme 1993-94. Out of this amount Rs.728.23(64.56%) has been released since 2014-15. The details of fund released and utilized during last five years in respect of the State of Maharashtra are as under: - 1(Rs. in Crore) Financial Year Allocated Utilized 2021-22 18.00 18.00 2022-23 100.00 100.00 2023-24 119.53 119.53 2024-25 118.35 118.35 2025-26 (as on 28.02.2026) 28.06 28.06 For digitization of the Court records including land and property related disputes, large-scale digitization of court records has been undertaken covering 3108 crore pages under the eCourts Project Phase-III. Currently, over 660.36 crore pages of court records across courts including 9.48 crore in respect of the Bombay High Court have been digitized as on 31.01.2026 to ensure faster retrieval, secure storage and seamless digital workflows. (c) and (d): The Nyaya Bandhu programme under Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice (DISHA) Scheme aims to promote pro-bono culture among advocates and law students by establishing a framework for pro-bono legal service delivery in the country. Under the programme, pro-bono advocates provide free legal assistance and representation in courts to the eligible beneficiaries under Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987, including persons with low-income. As on 28.02.2026, a total of 10,263 advocates are registered under the Nyaya Bandhu Programme and 5,330 cases have been registered by the beneficiaries under the programme across the country. During the last two years, i.e., FY 2024-25 to 2025-26 (as on 28.02.2026), 53 cases have been registered by the beneficiaries in Maharashtra including 32 cases in Mumbai under the Nyaya Bandhu Programme. The Tele-Law programme under Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice (DISHA) Scheme connects citizens with the lawyers to provide pre-litigation advice through use of Video/Tele conferencing facilities, Tele-Law Mobile App and Toll-Free No. 14454 through a network of 2,50,000 Common Service Centres (CSCs) operated by the Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) at the Gram Panchayat level, covering 777 Districts (including 112 Aspirational Districts and 500 Aspirational Blocks) spread across 36 States/UTs of the country. As on 28.02.2026, more than 1.12 Crore pre-litigation advices were provided to the beneficiaries across the country under Tele-Law. There are 27,875 CSCs across Maharashtra currently providing Tele-Law services including 157 CSCs in Mumbai as on 28.02.2026. To expand access to affordable pre-litigation advice in densely populated urban areas, regular awareness programmes and outreach activities are conducted so that more citizens can access Tele-Law services and receive timely pre-litigation advice from empanelled panel lawyers. ***** 2