The Supreme Court's War Room is a landmark achievement and a parting gift from Chief Justice DY Chandrachud. This cutting-edge, tech-driven nerve center was designed to increase the operational efficiency and transparency of India's highest court. With only few working days remaining until the Chief Justice’s retirement on November 10, his visionary project is already transforming court management, monitoring case progress from filing to final judgment, and incorporating technology on an unprecedented scale.
What is the War Room?
Located within the Supreme Court premises, the War Room is a fully modernized control center. On one side of the room, a massive video wall displays real-time data updates. Across from it, workstations hum with activity as officials manage and monitor the day-to-day functioning of India’s highest court, starting daily at 8 a.m. This hub serves as the nerve center for the Supreme Court's IT team, overseeing everything from live-streaming the Constitution Bench to managing the dockets of all 17 courtrooms.
War room: the need of the Indian Judicial system
Challenges in Monitoring Live Streaming and Courtroom Management
Registrar (Technology) Hargurvarinder Singh Jaggi explained that real-time tracking of live streaming is essential. "During high-public-interest matters, tracking is crucial," he noted. With limited video conferencing capacity in high-stakes cases like PILs, a well-functioning system is vital. Officials work tirelessly to refine the setup based on feedback, and the beta version of the live-streaming software is currently being tested across various courts to fine-tune its performance.
A Data-Driven Approach to Court Management
The War Room integrates data from the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), allowing real-time monitoring of case pendency across the Supreme Court and all district courts nationwide. This data-driven approach streamlines case management, enabling the administrative team to quickly identify and address bottlenecks in the judicial process. Each case is tracked meticulously from filing to final disposal, with dashboards displaying each stage of the case’s progress.
The Tech Team Behind the Supreme Court's War Room
Supreme Court IT team members—Shah Nawaj, Tejinder Singh, and Pavan Prathapa—demonstrated their work through a video presentation, outlining how they track cases from filing to disposal. Ashish J Shiradhonkar, the Registrar (OSD) for Technology Innovation Planning and the architect of India’s e-Courts project, explained how data is processed and published on the court’s website, making it accessible to the public.
Security Monitoring and Visitor Footfall
Security is another area where technology is key. The War Room’s digital tools monitor daily footfall into the court complex, alerting Registrar Mahesh T Patankar of the Courts & Building department when numbers exceed 10,000. This early notification allows for crowd management and necessary security adjustments.
Case File Movement in the Registry
The War Room also has tools to monitor case file movement within the court registry. A virtual justice clock provides real-time data on each file’s location, tracking its journey and identifying pending cases assigned to various officers. This transparency not only boosts accountability but also helps expedite case processing, a long-standing challenge in the judicial system.
A Legacy of Technological Advancement
The War Room is a legacy project that reflects Chief Justice Chandrachud’s commitment to a modernized judiciary. By integrating sophisticated technology into the Supreme Court’s daily operations, the War Room enables greater efficiency, real-time monitoring, and transparency—setting a new standard for the future of India’s judicial system.
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