Justice M B Lokur reappointed in-charge of SC’S e-panel

NEW DELHI: Justice M B Lokur would continue to head the Supreme Court’s e-committee for digitisation of the courts across country, with Chief Justice Dipak Misra reposing faith in the decision of his predecessor Justice J S Khehar.

Justice Lokur’s continuance in the job assumes significance as, after taking over as the e-committee head for the first time in 2012, he had taken up the ambitious task of making the apex court paperless.

This July, the e-panel had equipped the first five courts with large tablet computers which also serve as horizontal writing pads.

The complete digitisation of case records of the apex court is likely to be completed next year. As per a Supreme Court notification earlier this month, Chief Justice Misra, who is the patron-in-chief of the panel, has decided to continue with Justice Lokur as the judge-in- charge of the crucial committee.

Besides Lokur, other members of the panel are Justice A M Khanwilkar, Justice D Y Chandrachud and four others. The invitee members include Attorney General K K Venugopal, Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir B D Ahmed, among others.

Justice S H Kapadia as Chief Justice of India had appointed Lokur for the first time as the head of the e-panel in 2012, a post he continued to hold till last year. However, he was replaced during the tenure of Chief Justice T S Thakur in November 2016 by former Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court Sunil Ambwani.

But when former chief justice J S Khehar took over the mantle from Justice Thakur, he reversed the decision and reinstated Lokur to the position, which he has been holding continuously during the tenures of CJIS including Justices S H Kapadia, Altamas Kabir, P Sathasivam, R M Lodha and H L Dattu.