Patna: The revenue and land reforms department has taken a major step towards making revenue courts in Bihar fully technology-driven, transparent and accessible by introducing virtual hearings for litigants and advocates, minister Dilip Kumar Jaiswal said on Tuesday. He said Bihar would become the first state in the country to provide such a comprehensive, technology-enabled revenue court facility.A pilot project has already been launched in Muzaffarpur and Munger districts. Officials and staff at various levels associated with the system have been trained, and technical and procedural improvements are being implemented based on the pilot project’s experience. After completing and assessing the pilot projects in the two districts, the virtual hearing facility will be extended in phases to all 38 districts, department secretary Jai Singh said.All services of the department are already available online, while the revenue court management system (RCMS) can be accessed through the Biharbhumi portal. “However, litigants were required to be physically present for hearings at the circle, sub-divisional or district level, often forcing them to travel long distances,” Jaiswal said.The proposed virtual hearing system will enable them to attend proceedings from their homes or any other location, the minister said. “The introduction of virtual hearings is a significant initiative in this direction. This will reduce the hassle of commuting to court for the general public and advocates, while making the process of hearing and issuing orders in revenue cases faster, more transparent and convenient. Bihar is rapidly moving towards becoming a leading state in the country by digitizing the entire process of its revenue courts,” he said.Secretary Jai Singh said the state govt aims to make the entire revenue court process online and convenient. “The RCMS facility is already available on the Biharbhumi portal. With the introduction of virtual hearings, another significant step has been taken towards digitising revenue courts,” he said.The department is also working to make the RCMS portal more user-friendly and provide facilities for virtual hearings and downloading case orders across the state soon. The objective is to digitally complete the entire process — from filing a case and conducting hearings to passing orders and making the orders available to litigants.According to the department, the initiative will reduce repeated visits by citizens and advocates, besides improving transparency and convenience in revenue litigation.
