Court users may use integrated Court Case Management System for bulk claims in Small Claims Tribunal
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The Judiciary today (October 10) announced that starting from October 31, the application of the integrated Court Case Management System (iCMS) will be extended to cover bulk claims in the Small Claims Tribunal (SCT) such that court users can handle filing and payments electronically.
Bulk claims refer to claims filed by claimants who have been approved by the Principal Adjudicator to file claims in bulk for hearing at the same time in the SCT.
The iCMS is an integral part of the Judiciary's Information Technology Strategy Plan. It aims to facilitate the handling of court-related documents and payments through an electronic mode across the various levels of court. Since 2022, the iCMS has been implemented in phases. It currently covers personal injury actions, tax claim proceedings, civil action proceedings and employees' compensation cases in the District Court, as well as summons cases in the Magistrates' Courts. It will incrementally be extended to other levels of court. It is also the Judiciary's target to mandate the use of the iCMS for all legally represented litigants in respect of case types where the electronic mode have been made available, starting in 2026.
The major electronic services under the iCMS include sending case-specific court documents to the courts and receiving such documents from the courts, inspecting or searching filed documents and other case-related information held by the courts, searching cause books, and making payments for court services.
Eligible users need to register for a user account for using the full range of services under the iCMS. Eligible users include parties of an ongoing or new e-proceeding and their legal representatives (if any), the Hong Kong Bar Association, the Law Society of Hong Kong, law firms, government departments, law enforcement agencies and statutory bodies. Registration is free of charge.
Unregistered members of the public may also use certain types of iCMS services, mainly related to searching of electronic documents that are open to public inspection.
To encourage migration to e-filing and e-payment through the iCMS, a 20 per cent concession is offered to iCMS users for three years on fee items of the SCT, which are primarily or directly related to electronic handling of court documents.
As for technical requirements, the iCMS can be accessed using personal computers or mobile devices with an Internet connection, commonly used operating systems and browsers. Relevant technical requirements are available at www.judiciary.hk/doc/en/e_courts/AI_TechReq_iCMS_e.pdf.
Generally speaking, the iCMS operates around the clock except during system maintenance. The system maintenance schedules of the iCMS, as specified by the Judiciary, are published on the dedicated webpage of the Judiciary's website (www.judiciary.hk/en/e_courts/index.html).
Any e-filing and e-payment received under the iCMS after the registry and the accounts office are normally closed to the public (i.e. after 5.30pm on a working day) will be deemed to be received upon the starting time of the normal opening hours of the registry and the accounts office on the following working day.
For enquiries, please call the general enquiry hotline at 2477 1002 or the technical helpline at 2886 6474, e-mail to enquiry@judiciary.hk or visit the Help Centre at 5/F, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai.
Ends/Thursday, October 10, 2024
Issued at HKT 9:00
Issued at HKT 9:00
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