The Bombay High Court has provided interim relief to 88 officers working on the E-Courts Project, preventing the termination of their contractual appointments while their petitions are pending.

The officers, employed in District and Taluka Courts across Maharashtra, are seeking regularization and absorption into permanent roles within the High Court or District Courts.

They also demand benefits comparable to regular employees, including annual increments, leave entitlements, and dearness allowance, with retrospective effect.

A division bench comprising Justice Bharathi Dangre and Justice Manjusha Deshpande heard the case, where the petitioners argued that their contributions to the E-Courts system were crucial. The court acknowledged this point, emphasizing the importance of their work in sustaining the digital court infrastructure.

The Registrar General of the High Court, named as a respondent, has been granted time to file an affidavit in response to the petitioners' claims. Pending further hearings, the court has directed that the officers’ contracts not be terminated.

“There can be no doubt about the fact that the services of these persons are very much required for continuing with the system, as the e-Committee of the Supreme Court had requested all the High Courts to create permanent technical manpower funded by the respective State Governments, as this manpower was very much necessary to support for ICT Enabled Courts and to create a sustainable mechanism for continuous smooth operation of the ICT System in the Courts,” the order reads.

The High Court directed the Union of India and the Ministry of Law and Justice to submit an affidavit and issued a notice to this effect. The bench has scheduled the next hearing of the petitions for October 21st.