Judiciary Not Serious About E-Filing Of Cases -Lawyer
2 min read
As the controversy over the electronic filing, e-filing, of cases among legal practitioners continues, a Port Harcourt based lawyer, Ugwuadu Reginald says the only way the Rivers State Judiciary can prove its critics wrong of not being serious about e-filing of cases is to make the platform of the judiciary, user friendly and functional.
Ugwuadu Reginald made this known over the weekend in a chat with news men in Port Harcourt. According to him, “nobody is opposing the introduction of e-filing of cases in the Rivers State Judiciary, but it must be user friendly. A platform has to be user friendly.”
He pointed out that the introduction of digital processes is good but only when it is working.
“For me, the introduction of digital processes in our judiciary system or administration of justices is good but only when it is working. The complaint is from all lawyers, but the question now is what practical steps the authority has taken to redress the complaints of the lawyers, given that with the platform nothing is working. Therefore, the platform has to be investigated,” Ugwuadu queried.
The legal luminary emphasized that “because of the e-filing of cases the litigants are suffering. There are no urgent matters anymore, besides, the State and the Judiciary are losing revenue to these new practices. If the people or masses cannot get judgement they will resort to self-help. In fact, the authority of the Rivers State Judiciary should be reminded that the road to justice is that it must be easily accessible.”
He described the introduction of e-filing of cases as a sublime innovation, he however noted that there was the need for a gradual transition and phase to the whole exercise.
“The first and foremost to the e-filing of cases is that there should be a transition or phase. Indeed, during the phase period people will know that we are moving from analogue to digital phase. During the phase period everyone will know that it is working. Indeed, during the phase period lawyers, government and the public will be happy about the whole exercise.”
