Objectives and Principles

Information technology is a powerful resource, but for IT to be effectively applied in an organization, it must be closely tied to the organization's core objectives. In other words, IT must be applied in the judiciary to further the objectives of the Court system. These core objectives of the judiciary include being accessible, fair, accountable, transparent, and timely (the concept of due process) in the administration of justice:

• Efficiency of judiciary: IT should help the judiciary carry out its responsibilities in a timely and efficient way. IT can do this by:

  i. reducing repetitive tasks and duplication of effort: For example, if a court has an automated system to record case information, a clerk would enter the name of a party into the automated system at case filing. That single entry can be used for many purposes, such as tracking the progress of the case, generating reports automatically, and generating documents such as summonses or judgments.

  ii. providing enhanced statistics and monitoring: With case information in an automated system, much more sophisticated monitoring reports and statistical analysis can be performed than in a manual system, and the reports can be generated automatically. Court leaders can use this analysis to improve judicial operations, planning, and policymaking.

• Access to justice: IT should help make the court system accessible to all who require court services. IT can do this by, for example, making the court's judgments, procedures, and case information available over the Internet to litigants and other interested parties.
• Quality of justice: IT should help the judiciary deliver the highest quality of justice - by promoting accountability, transparency, and non-arbitrary decision making under the rule of law. IT can do this by giving judges better access to the law and to tools that can make them more effective. IT can also achieve the objectives of accountability and transparency by giving the public access to the court's judgments, procedures, and case information.
  In developing an IT strategy for the judiciary, some governing principles are worth spelling out at the outset:
• Functionality: IT solutions must allow the judiciary to meet the objectives of the court system (increasing the efficiency of the judiciary, enhancing the access to justice, and enhancing the quality of justice), and the solutions must be easy to use and functional. Systems that are difficult to use inevitably fail. Key is to focus on technologies that are intuitive and user-friendly - e-mail and the web are examples of such technologies.
• Use of open, standard technologies: Using open, standard technologies will allow the judiciary to develop integrated, cost effective solutions. This approach will not only allow the judiciary to capture, organize, and retrieve a wide range of information across many locations, but it also will allow the judiciary to exchange data effectively with other major agencies that interact with the court system (for example, the police, Department of Legal Affairs, and Land Records).
• Realistic expectations: IT solutions in the judiciary should be developed and implemented with realistic expectations of court leaders and users. While IT can help the judiciary enhance its efficiencies and service, technology cannot substitute for training, good management, and a good work environment. People make courts work, not computers.

Analysis of Current Status of IT in the Judiciary

Hardware and Connectivity

In early nineties, all the computers in the High Court and all Dzongkhag Courts have Pentium II processors and Windows 98 operating systems. All of the courts have a printer, fax machine, and photocopier.

Presently all the courts are equipped with latest computers and printers.

Software and Applications

The ICT Section of High Court is an integral part of software development seciton in the Judiciary . The ICT Section also acts as support center and solution provider to all ICT related problems in the Judiciary. Since the early 1990s the Judiciary of Bhutan under the leadership of Chief Justice Lyonpo Sonam Tobgye has placed an emphasis on cost efficient and effective means of dispute resolution. A strategy was developed to enhance the use of Information Technology in the court system.

E-System in Judiciary of Bhutan

1. Case Information System
2. Case Management System(Online System)
3. Judicial Employee Information System
4. Judiciary website

Presently, the ICT system of the Judiciary consists of the CIS (Case Information System), CMS (Case Management System), JEIS (Judicial Employees Information System) and Judiciary website. The CIS keeps track of the cases, petitions, orders, hearings witnesses; it maintains information related to the cases in automated form. It can generate comparative periodic reports on the status and trends of cases being heard, disposed and pending. The CMS (Case Management System) is a web-based case database which disseminates information pertaining to the cases and generates comparative reports which enable the litigants to view the status of their cases online.

The JEIS (Judicial Employee Information System) maintains personnel information about all the civil servants working in the judiciary. This helps the administrative officials to devise trainings and plans, amongst others. It can generate various related reports.

Usage

The computers in the Courts are used for word processing for preparing word document, e-mail, Internet and for entering the case details in the CIS system.

i. Strong leadership: The Chief Justice is a strong supporter of enhancing the use of IT in the judiciary. As well, he is an enthusiastic and inspired user of technology, which can't help but have a trickle down effect on the other judges and staff.

ii. Hardware: All the courts are equipped with latest computers and printers.

iii. Basic user skills: Each court has at least three or four staff that has basic computer skills, primarily in word processing and on the use of CIS system.

iv. Consistent document preparation: All courts prepare documents using the microsoft word 2003. This has resulted in a high degree of standardization in the form and content of documents.

v. Willingness to learn: All court staff that the strategy team met with were very eager to learn how to better use their computer.

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