Premium

Registrar General moves to ensure OTP-based online access to orders in sensitive cases

Litigants and lawyers to get secure e-copies of orders in crimes against women, children and other protected matters via e-Filing 3.0

3 min readChandigarhUpdated: Dec 3, 2025 08:31 PM IST

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday disposed of a public interest litigation seeking online access to soft copies of orders and judgments in sensitive cases, after noting that the High Court administration has now operationalised a secure OTP-based system in pilot districts and directed its rollout across all district courts in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.

The petition filed by advocate Nikhil Thamman, had flagged the continued denial of digital access in cases involving crimes against women and children, domestic violence, proceedings under the Juvenile Justice Act and other protected matters, despite the High Court itself already running an OTP-driven mechanism for such categories.

The PIL followed a legal notice Thamman issued to the Registrar General on October 24, 2025, pointing out the absence of OTP-gated digital copies in the district judiciary. In a response dated November 21, 2025, the Registrar General’s office informed him that the matter had been placed before the Supreme Court e-Committee, that required migration scripts had been obtained from NIC Pune, and that pilot testing of OTP-based access had begun at three locations.

During Wednesday’s hearing before Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry, counsel for the Registrar General produced a December 2, 2025 communication confirming that an upgraded NIC Pune script now enables OTP-based access to orders classified as protected category through the e-Filing 3.0 portal. The court was informed that the script has been successfully tested in the district courts of Moga, Sirsa and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, and that the facility is fully operational in these pilot districts.

According to the communication, all District and Sessions Judges in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh have been directed to deploy the script on their CIS servers and make the facility functional without delay. Once implemented, litigants and advocates will be able to download soft copies of orders and judgments in restricted-category cases after authenticating themselves through one-time passwords issued via the e-Filing 3.0 platform.

Recording that the “core grievance” now stands addressed in view of the administrative steps taken and directions issued, the Bench disposed of the PIL while noting that the relief sought is already under implementation across the region’s district courts. Thamman welcomed the development, saying the move will plug an “administrative vacuum”, reduce harassment and delays, and curb financial exploitation of women, minors and other vulnerable litigants by ensuring timely, cost-free and dignified access to orders. He added that the reform will finally bring district courts at par with the High Court’s existing digital system.