Kerala High Court Mandates E-Typed Commission Reports and Depositions for E-Filing from January 2026
From the Editor's Desk
The High Court of Kerala has issued fresh guidelines requiring Advocate Commissioners to submit all commission reports and witness depositions in electronically typed format, as part of a wider move to improve digital handling of court records through the DCMS platform.
In an Official Memorandum dated December 1, 2025, the Court has directed that, with effect from January 1, 2026, all commission reports and depositions recorded under Order XVIII Rule 4 and Order XXVI of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, must be submitted in an electronically typed form.
Under the new system, Advocate Commissioners will be required to submit:
- The signed physical copies of the deposition and commission report, and
- A single PDF file of the same, to be uploaded through the “Commission Report” option on the Advocate’s dashboard in the DCMS.
Court staff have been instructed to verify the uploaded documents using the tools available in DCMS. After verification, the deposition will be made accessible to the parties and their advocates through their respective dashboards, enabling smoother and more transparent access to records.
The High Court states that these measures are intended to improve uniformity, legibility, accuracy, and digital processing of records across all district courts in the state. District Judges have been asked to ensure that courts under their jurisdiction issue necessary instructions to Advocate Commissioners to follow these norms.
Registrar (Computerisation)-cum-Director (IT) Joseph Rajesh K A has requested all District Judges to extend full support for the implementation of the guidelines. Copies of the memorandum have also been sent to the Rule Committee, technical officers of the High Court, and the Bar Council of Kerala, indicating a coordinated shift toward a more robust digital ecosystem for judicial records in Kerala.
