Jammu: In a significant order to ensure smooth functioning of the criminal justice system, the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has permitted the manual filing of chargesheets and challans in exceptional cases where technical glitches disrupt the Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS).
The ICJS platform, currently in use across criminal courts in both Union Territories, is the designated system for electronic filing. However, frequent technical issues have hampered the process, preventing police from uploading challans and courts from retrieving them.
To address this, the High Court has directed that challans may be filed manually, but only after a certification from a technical team comprising the Senior System Officer of the concerned High Court wing and the Nodal Officer of the Police Department, confirming that online filing was not possible.
The order, issued by the Registrar General, will remain in force for three months. During this period, technical teams from the High Court and Police have been tasked with resolving the glitches.
At the same time, the High Court expressed concern over delays by Presiding Officers in uploading final disposal orders (IF6) on the Case Information System (CIS). It noted that such lapses cause hardships for litigants, especially in cases requiring police verification of character and antecedents.
“All Presiding Officers must ensure that disposal orders are uploaded within a week of final disposal,” the directive stated, stressing timely compliance.
The order has been circulated to all Principal District and Sessions Judges across J&K and Ladakh for strict implementation and dissemination at the district level.
