Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant inaugurated the Jharkhand High Court’s first dedicated data centre, built at an estimated cost of ₹35 crore, at the High Court campus in Dhurwa, Ranchi, on the evening of 2 November 2026. He also launched six digital services for litigants, advocates and judicial officers, including a new website, an iOS app and an online certified-copy facility.
The facility is the first of its kind in Jharkhand and is meant to serve as the technology backbone for both the High Court and the subordinate courts in the state. It comes as Indian courts debate how far to rely on AI, a question Elets eGov explored in how fake precedents are pushing courts towards AI rules.
What the Jharkhand High Court data centre will run
Justice Ananda Sen, Chairperson of the High Court’s Computer and Digitisation Committee, said the data centre provides centralised storage, advanced backup, network security, fire protection and uninterrupted power supply. A report by ETV Bharat said it is also equipped with high-performance GPU servers.
The centre will host the key systems of the e-Courts Mission Mode Project in the state:
- the Case Information System and the Document Management System
- electronic judicial records
- video conferencing for court proceedings
- other court e-governance applications
According to Justice Sen, the facility should make court systems more reliable, preserve digital records and give judges, advocates, court staff and litigants secure access to judicial information.
Six digital services launched with it
As listed by the High Court ahead of the function and reported by UNI, the six initiatives are:
- New High Court website with case status, daily orders and cause lists
- iOS mobile app covering the High Court and the civil courts
- Online certified-copy applications for orders and judgments of civil courts, available round the clock
- Personalised cause list that lets advocates search their cases by name or enrolment number and save hearing dates on their phones
- Dragon speech-to-text software for judicial officers to dictate orders and judgments
- Supreme Today AI software for legal research and drafting
How the AI tools are meant to help judges
Judicial officers across Jharkhand are being given Dragon speech-recognition kits so they can dictate orders, judgments and other documents instead of typing them. ETV Bharat reported that the software works without an internet connection, which keeps court documents confidential. The Supreme Today AI software is intended to help judges search past judgments and precedents in minutes.
The rollout builds on the state’s wider technology agenda, including the Jharkhand AI vision and digital governance roadmap presented earlier this year.
Why it matters for e-Courts in India
Online certified copies and personalised cause lists cut the number of trips litigants and lawyers must make to court buildings, while a state-owned data centre gives the judiciary more control over sensitive records. Bar Council member and advocate Nilesh Agarwal said the centre would help people seeking legal remedies get reliable information and support speedy justice. India’s e-Courts programme has been recognised before, when the Supreme Court’s e-Committee received the Platinum award for the e-Courts initiative.
Supreme Court judges Justice S. Chandrashekhar and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice M. S. Sonak were listed among the dignitaries for the function.
Key takeaways
- CJI Surya Kant inaugurated a ₹35 crore data centre at the Jharkhand High Court in Ranchi on 2 November 2026.
- It will run e-Courts systems such as case information, document management, e-records and video conferencing.
- Six services went live with it, including an iOS app, online certified copies, personalised cause lists and AI and speech-to-text tools for judges.
FAQ
How much did the Jharkhand High Court data centre cost?
The data centre was built at an estimated cost of ₹35 crore, according to the High Court’s Computer and Digitisation Committee.
Can litigants get certified copies online in Jharkhand?
Yes. The new facility lets people apply online, at any time, for certified copies of orders and judgments of civil courts in the state.
Featured image: Jharkhand High Court campus at Dhurwa, Ranchi. Photo: Flashthomsom / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)