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Friday June 28, 2024

SC reframes NJAC to improve judicial efficiency

By Our Correspondent
November 18, 2023
Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa presides the televised full court hearing on September 18, 2023, in this still taken from a video. — YouTube/PTV News Live
Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa presides the televised full court hearing on September 18, 2023, in this still taken from a video. — YouTube/PTV News Live

ISLAMABAD: In order to improve the efficiency of judiciary, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faiz Isa Friday reconstituted the National Judicial Automation Committee (NJAC).

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah will head the committee while Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar will be the member. Judges from the High Courts and Federal Shariat Court will also be part of the committee”, says a press release.

The committee will work for digitization of the court processes and records, introduce mobile applications for better access to justice and improve case management.

The committee aims to automate and integrate the judiciary and also introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the legal processes and research.

It will prepare a national plan based on technology and AI to improve the efficiency of service delivery of the judiciary.

Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah believes that the justice sector in Pakistan should benefit from the new developments in technology adding that the world has moved from the age of the Industrial Revolution to the era of Technological Transformation.

He says the justice sector in Pakistan needs to invest in state-of-the-art digital infrastructure, modernized training programs, and robust measures for better administration of justice.

Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar thinks that the digitization of justice sector is only the beginning of the transformative change they envision for the legal system.

As they move forward, they remain committed to continually enhancing their digital capabilities, further improving access to justice, and ensuring a transparent and efficient legal process for all.

Justice Shah was a judge and later chief justice of the Lahore High Court. During his tenure, he established a resource center and launched a distinctive automation project that resulted in the successful deployment of Case Flow Management System. Similarly, Justice Mazhar took several initiatives to equip the Sindh High Court with IT technology. The National Judicial Automation Committee (NJAC) is a sub-committee of the National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC) which is an apex body responsible for improving the performance of the administration of justice, harmonizing the judicial processes and standards, and ensuring a skilled and efficient judiciary.