Context: Following an order in July by a Special Bench led by CJI, the Supreme court has introduced the “Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records” (FASTER) system.
Through this system, Supreme Court’s crucial decisions, including orders on bail and stay of arrest, can be communicated electronically to prison authorities and investigating agencies through a secure channel.
The Rules and Handbook on Practice and Procedure of Supreme Court enables the transmission of a certified copy of the judgment or order either in physical or electronic form.
Significance of FASTER system
It enables instantaneous delivery of orders passed by apex court through a secure communication channel and ensures that there are no delays in implementation of the orders passed by the Supreme Court.
The system is meant to ensure that undertrials are not made to wait for days on end behind bars to be released because the certified hard copies of their bail orders were late to reach the prison.
The system would also prevent unnecessary arrests and custody of people even after the court has already granted them its protection.
It may even communicate a stay on an execution ordered by the final court on time.
It is a big fillip to the fundamental rights of life, dignity and personal liberty.
