Although the E Court facility had been launched at the Supreme Court last year this much needed function was lacking at the District level. The civil courts in Pakistan are the courts of first instance. The civil courts along with the magistrate courts form the basis of litigations in Pakistan. Since the March when Pakistan went into lockdown, the inception of new cases and in fact the process of regular cases has been hard hit. The only procedure going on in the District Courts is the hearing bail matters and temporary injunctions. It is hoped with the creation of the model E-Court litigants and lawyers will be able to attend hearings via Skype and Google Meet.
Having seen how arbitrations and courts function abroad, been a part of Legal 500, been on my phone 24/7 with clients on emails, skype and now Zoom I couldn’t be more happier with this new development in Pakistan jurisprudence.
